Diamond_Jim

you can have two or three split rounds that would extend the season to 20/21 weeks in length. It would also give a little less competition for the prime time TV spots

Collingwood is a bit of an unknown in my opinion. They could easily do an Essendon and finish around 10th. Sidebottom and Pendlebury had great seasons. Can they do it yet again. Forward structure is not quite there and of course Cox could be a star or a bust. In 2018 they were the quiet achievers who had a good September... sound familiar. If your prediction of 6 wins for the bottom team is right the top ten or so will be incredibly tight.

I'm tending to favour the seventeen round draw. Throw in two split rounds (Half the comp get a bye) and you are at a 20 week season. If you have to have the remaining five rounds for $ purposes then a simple random draw for the last five rounds is probably the most logical and fair. The compromised draw has simply become just that... compromised.

According to this article Collingwood played at the MCG 15 times during the home and away season. Of course they weren't all home games. The issue with the MCG contracts is that they are an obligated minimum. Nothing stops a club from playing more. Even if you don't play the minimum as was often the case with the old Docklands arrangements the contract usually has a clause stating the compensation to be paid. https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/afl-grand-final-tickets-collingwood-mcg-melbourne-west-coast/1cvf8e6du0y1x178dflgtpo52v

Our academy is only for Alice Springs. Every club has an academy now and it has nothing to do with playing there. For example Geelong has East Arnhem Land and Hawthorn has Katherine.

They are the minimum number of contracted games. With the new Thursday night slot there is an ability for an increased number of games at the MCG which they would be happy to host. Out of Docklands and the NT I suspect we know where most would like to play. The damning thing about the NT is that no one else wants to play there. Even Tasmania has North, Hawthorn and formerly St Kilda fighting over Tassie money. It tells you something I suspect. In years gone by we sold our soul to Brisbane and then the NT for the last eight years. It's time to come home.

On the money side of things here is an article from 2016 talking about the extension into 2017 and 2018. The figure quoted is $3.2 million or 800k per match contributed by the NT Government. That is consistent with what Peter Gordon was quoting a year or two back as the least amount ($1M) that the Bulldogs would want to play in China. I know we extended last year but I cannot find the press release as for how long. https://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-demons-agree-to-multimillion-dollar-deal-with-nt-government-to-play-two-home-games-annually-in-territory--for-next-two-years/news-story/94d5ee23d8073221ac36931352

Out of interest is there any sense of "belonging" in Tasmania for either the Hawks or North from the general Tasmanian population? Thanks

Pretty good given you have us playing only 21 games while the other teams in the 8 have played 22. Great effort and keep them coming.

Very much agree Redleg and time we had some transparency on this issue. This year we had 37k against GWS at the MCG. We don't need to go to NT on the pure basis of crowd numbers if we can maintain momentum.

Hawks complaining about the fixture. I think the compromised fixture as we know it is in danger simply because there is now way too much manipulation to try and satisfy the various stakeholders while still maintaining some form of competitive integrity. Odds on that there will be a committee formed to look at the fixture. As with the gambling dollar the AFL is so hooked on the TV dollar that in turn is driven by Murdoch's Foxtel it will take strong wills to swim against the ever increasing tide of manipulation.

I think people underestimate the power of FTA television. The Foxtel ratings are almost non existent but the FTA is another matter. Would love to see the FTA appearances club by club for the last five years. Someone mentioned we have 13 FTA matches for 2019. I'll take a punt and say Collingwood have 17 or more.

fantastic book I read it while travelling in India and it allowed me to discuss things with many people I met. A must read and a very easy read.

In the last two years the team who was 13th has gone on to win or challenge for the flag, Guess who was 13 this year.... yep the Bulldogs

Fascinating...as I grow older, I have become very interested in reading histories from alternative aspects and understanding the power of written histories. India under the British from the viewpoint of the Indians is an easily accessible example. A useful piece of trivia.. there are actually three people who could rightly claim to be the "founder" of Singapore. After Raffle's death his widow wrote a book pushing his story forward as the new Clive etc to enhance her chances of getting a pension from the East India Company and as they say "the rest is history." Hopefully the dark lessons of history that came from the EFC drug saga are not lost but I suspect like in many other areas we will repeat it.

Carlton played there last year but I agree Geelong has been allowed to pick and choose it's Karidinia opponents. Time for them to have their MCG opponents rotated between the remaining Melbourne clubs. Let's face it though... the compromised draw has become a monster that has the potential over many years to destroy the competition. I don't have the answer but there has to be a better way or we will end up with an EPL like competition. Luckily MFC has the MCG which gives us some bargaining power... woe be tide the other 3 Melbourne losers ... Saints, Bulldogs and North.

So realistically who are vulnerable in the sliding stakes.... Would not surprise me if Collingwood struggle... they had a good September but without Sidebottom and Pendlebury firing will they be as good? Essendon.. a real unknown... performed maybe two rungs below where they should have ended last year. Could go up or down. Sydney and Hawthorn... down slightly. Who is on the up..... not sure.. perhaps Freo and Brisbane will worry a few more teams thus making them danger games. Cannot get a handle on North. So.... overall it's once again anyone's flag next year with Richmond and WCE deservedly favourites.

wow... an incredible situation

And from the AFL site... "COLLINGWOOD will be the darlings of prime time next year, with the Magpies handed 11 blockbusters matches following the release of the official 2019 AFL Toyota Premiership Season Fixture. In addition to the annual Anzac Day and Queen's Birthday matches, the Pies will feature in two Thursday night games and seven Friday night games throughout next season." Such a level playing field ....

Rotate the opposition... it's simple Why should we forever be stuck with the left overs. It's a fight for exposure.. and we're losing

why not..we drew 90+k last time we played them and we are being asked to go to a ground where there is a virtual lock out. If it's good enough for Essendon etc why are we the perpetual bunny

dudded again but hey... what's new

We're in a fight for survival with nine other Melbourne clubs. At present we sit in the bottom 4 with North, Saints, Bulldogs and ourselves. Survival means exposure in the main markets and NT doesn't deliver that in any meaningful way. If it was so good to play up there I think there might be a few other clubs going for the silver arrow but no one wants to grab the nettle. Memberships expand and contract at geometric rather than arithmetic rates. By 2025 assuming we grow by 20% we will be around 70,000 members less than Richmond if they grow at the same rate.

makes sense and you could follow it with the bye. The problems I see are accommodation costs etc (not insurmountable but not chicken feed) and more importantly the absence from the MFC home market for a three week period. If we could guarantee good FTA coverage back in Melbourne this impact could be minimised. Technically it would be two home games in a row which would then be followed by the bye and an away game (which one would hope would be in Melbourne) .. so you could go four weeks without a Melbourne based home game. BTW who gets the money from the attendance of MFC members at the so called make up games?

Slightly related to the issue of sartorial elegance in the sporting arena, I had cause to go to the Washington Redskins website yesterday. (Presently on top of the NFC Eat after many many lean years.) Anyway last week they played in NY against the Giants and the website had a section on the players travelling to NY. To say there was the full range of fashion was an understatement. https://www.redskins.com/photos/photos-redskins-travel-to-new-york-2018#cc9427d1-9e25-4f62-89fa-3cea4cfd3412 Go Skins !!