titan_uranus

My early thoughts: We double-up against the Dogs, Port Adelaide, Brisbane, Fremantle and Collingwood. That's three of the best four sides of 2021 other than us, plus a side who should be pushing for finals in 2022 (Fremantle). At first glance, that's brutal. However, almost every year one of the previous season's top sides falls away. It's a bit dangerous to read into the five return games. We will learn a lot more about the difficulty of our fixture as we see what happens with 5 and 6 day breaks. So far, in the first 9 rounds we've been given three 6-day breaks, two of which are back-to-back Hard to explain why we get three Wed/Thurs/Fri games in the first 9 rounds but the Dogs get six. We were the premiers, not them. Plenty of opportunities for more prime time games in the ones yet to be given a timeslot: Brisbane at the G off the bye is ripe for a Thursday night, and the games vs Geelong, Port, the Dogs, Collingwood and Brisbane the second time are all options It's farcical that we, again, play West Coast in Perth. Whilst I'd prefer not to have to play in Geelong, that game was a certainty after Round 23 this year. Pencil it in for a prime time slot absent one/both sides struggling We open the year in prime time at the G. A bit disappointing we have to close it on the road, but it's not wholly unjust This was the perfect year to send Richmond, Hawthorn, Carlton and/or Collingwood to Geelong. Instead, not a single one of them is forced to make the trip. The unfairness continues on that front Only one game out of Melbourne between Rounds 5-15 inclusive. A pretty good stretch

Because it's not a risk to the players' health.

Bucs, Vikings, Colts

I've been a bit disengaged from footy the last few weeks. In need of a bit of a pick-me-up today though. GF highlight reels doing the job nicely!

Knowing nothing at all about Van Rooyen or the other options available with our pick and just reading what's been discussed here, I'm pretty happy with this pick. I suppose that's what being the reigning premier does!

Bills, Bucs and Chargers Boy, am I struggling to get a read on the competition this year.

Packers, 49ers, Saints

I'd be livid if I were a GC supporter. I mean, for one, I'd have had no finals in 11 years. But to take one of the club's better players and turf him because list management is so poor you couldn't find the minimum three picks without having to delist him, only to have a rival take him for free, is a failure of the highest order.

Getting in late here but Bills, Bucs, Rams (unfair advantage, I know, as I get to avoid going what seemed the obvious one in Ravens...)

Bills, Chargers, Packers

Bucs, Rams, Bengals.

Here's what I'd like to see in the 2022 fixture: All Victorian clubs play the same number of games interstate - no more of Carlton/Collingwood/Richmond getting fewer interstate games than Melbourne/North Melbourne/St Kilda Collingwood/Richmond/Hawthorn play at GMHBA Stadium (I'd argue for Carlton and Essendon too but at least they've been there in recent years) We play West Coast in Melbourne for once

Night games are great for sponsorship and keeping the focus on us, but for our family supporters I'd like to see a good blend of afternoon games as well. I don't want to be like Hawthorn/Geelong/Sydney of the early 2010s who seemingly played every single week at night. I'd like a few Saturday or even Sunday afternoons at the G, ideally. But obviously we deserve and will want night games on FTA at the start of the year. I reckon it's 100% certain. The AFL will want the reprise of the Round 23 classic, given how impactful the goal after the siren was to our flag.

Chiefs, Falcons, Panthers

Nah let's go for 2021 pages.

Agree. I can't stand it when players "move up" in the numbers as if moving from 42 to 27 is some sort of promotion. I'm firmly of the view that you show up to the club, you're given a number, and that's your number. Make it yours. Our first draft pick can be given number 2, with no fuss, and we move on.

Rams, Chiefs, Bills

Packers, Patriots, Titans

Tim Lamb was interviewed earlier today on AFL Trade Exchange, as part of AFL Trade Radio. Worth a listen, IMO. Touches on Jackson, Oliver, Petracca, Dunstan and our general strategy and list build.

Surely drew some confidence from the 44 point comeback in that game when we were 19 down in the third quarter of the GF. That and the Brisbane Round 12 game were huge for us, I think.

True. I think it's been reported he's got another one year deal though? Don't the rules require every club to take at least three picks in the draft?

Well to be fair, if the allegation of nastiness comes from us singing that song, that didn't happen until after the GF. It was petty, us singing that song, but if the Dogs don't like it they should refrain from getting on the [censored] and chanting songs after they win games that aren't Grand Finals.

Apples and oranges here, @Kent, to be fair. Dunstan was playing first-string midfield minutes in his games at St Kilda this year. None of Harmes, Jones or vandenBerg were. I think that will explain why his disposal and clearance numbers are well in front of the other three.

I think with today's signings, Declase and Hore are the only players left without a contract for 2022.

You'd imagine we're only going to keep one of Chandler and Bedford. What interests me is that Chandler was repeatedly an emergency this year but Bedford wasn't. You'd think that means we rate Chandler higher than Bedford?