Round 23 Discussion

[Greystache]

The fixture has been released for round 23 and there's some total shocks in the scheduling.

Western Bulldogs vs GWS- You guessed it, Sunday 4.40pm. Why didn't they just pencil it in at the start of the season, rather than the charade of waiting to see how the season played out.

Who is playing Friday night? You guessed it again, Collingwood vs Hawthorn. So despite being unlikely to play finals Collingwood are granted their 6th Friday night game of the season. And the AFL wonders why interest in the competition is at an all time low, professional wrestling is less scripted than this competition!

Fixture in full

ROUND 23

Friday 20 August
Collingwood vs Hawthorn, MCG, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday 30 August
Carlton vs Essendon, MCG, 1.45pm AEST
Fremantle vs Port Adelaide, Patersons Stadium, 3.10pm AEST (1.10pm local)
Sydney vs Richmond, ANZ Stadium, 4.40pm AEST
Geelong vs Brisbane, Simonds Stadium, 7.40pm AEST
North Melbourne vs Melbourne, Etihad Stadium, 7.40pm AEST

Sunday 31 August
Gold Coast vs West Coast, Metricon Stadium, 1.10pm AEST
Adelaide vs St Kilda, Adelaide Oval, 3.20pm AEST (2.50pm local)
Western Bulldogs vs GWS, Etihad Stadium, 4.40pm AEST

[Prince Imperial]

Whilst this is not surprising and it's justifiable in the context of the individual round and neither side being in finals contention, it is now the third home game of the year (with no public holiday the next day) where we have been given this commercially disastrous timeslot and the AFL would have strongly suspected that this would have been the case when they did the 2014 draw and gave us this match against the 2013 wooden spooners. Couple this with no Friday night games, only one Saturday night home game, two years in a row of having more home matches against interstate clubs than Victorian clubs, two years in a row of not being given a home game against the biggest Victorian club (Collingwood) and it represents systematic treatment willfully designed to damage the club's finances. FFS, even our biggest potential financially lucrative home game (against Essendon) was shunted to this dead end timeslot.

All 18 clubs should have to share equally the burden of the Sunday twilight (local time) timeslot and as we know this is not the case. Unless there's some semblance of equalization in the draw it will continue to be a hard grind for the club even with further disequal funding.

[Ozza]

Surely Port v Freo should have been Friday night - given that;

1. Both teams will certainly play finals (unlike Coll v Hawthorn potentially) Whereas Adelaide and Gold Coast (both with as much chance as Collingwood - play Sunday!)

2. Port essentially lose a day (or half a day) travelling, and potentially would have to travel the following week.

But of course Hawks/Pies plays well for a Friday night TV audience, and then the AFL gets to put the Hawks on the following Friday - win/win for their ratings!

EDIT!: On second look....given that there are 2 etihad and 2 MCG games for the weekend - it may be reasonable that they've fixtured the Pies & Hawks for Friday night.....and my blinding hatred for those clubs...well, blinded me!

[The Underdog]

Surely Port v Freo should have been Friday night - given that;

1. Both teams will certainly play finals (unlike Coll v Hawthorn potentially) Whereas Adelaide and Gold Coast (both with as much chance as Collingwood - play Sunday!)

2. Port essentially lose a day (or half a day) travelling, and potentially would have to travel the following week.

But of course Hawks/Pies plays well for a Friday night TV audience, and then the AFL gets to put the Hawks on the following Friday - win/win for their ratings!

Freo play on Sunday in Brisbane in rd 22, so would only have had a 5 day break form their longest road trip. Just not feasible.
To be fair Hawthorn vs Collingwood is about the only game with any real potential implications on the finals they could have had on Friday night, aside from maybe Carlton vs Essendon. I don't see the big deal with the fixturing. Yes it sucks that we're playing at 4.40 on Sunday but seeing as there would only be 12000 going regardless, it likely doesn't matter.

[boydogs]

They should have more Perth games at 4:40pm Sunday, means it's actually 2:40pm over there when they start

[Webby]

They should have more Perth games at 4:40pm Sunday, means it's actually 2:40pm over there when they start

They used to do that 20 years ago. Only issue is clubs moan about the late flights back to the east coast which hinder their preparations for the following week.

[Scraggers]

Surely Port v Freo should have been Friday night - given that;

1. Both teams will certainly play finals (unlike Coll v Hawthorn potentially) Whereas Adelaide and Gold Coast (both with as much chance as Collingwood - play Sunday!)

2. Port essentially lose a day (or half a day) travelling, and potentially would have to travel the following week.

But of course Hawks/Pies plays well for a Friday night TV audience, and then the AFL gets to put the Hawks on the following Friday - win/win for their ratings!

EDIT!: On second look....given that there are 2 etihad and 2 MCG games for the weekend - it may be reasonable that they've fixtured the Pies & Hawks for Friday night.....and my blinding hatred for those clubs...well, blinded me!


Collingwood on Friday is the AFL's way of apologising to Eddie for the Monday night fixture

[The Underdog]

Collingwood on Friday is the AFL's way of apologising to Eddie for the Monday night fixture


I'm just not sure what other game in that slate is potentially worthy of Friday night. Collingwood and Hawthorn will potentially have implications for the finals, will draw a big crowd and doesn't leave anyone with short rest. I'm sure it's exactly what the AFL wanted all along but it's certainly nothing to get too fussed about. In the context of the shitty draw and it's many problems this year, it's at the low end.
As for our game, it was always going to be played "off-broadway", it was just what shitty time slot we got. As it turned out it was the one we all expected. At least we are on free to air TV for 3 out of the final 5 weeks, which is better than I'd hoped.

[Eastdog]

Bump

The final round is a upon us. Some important matches this round to see who will make up the final 8.

[bornadog]

My mate the Hawks supporter has invited me along tonight, and I have decided to go along.

I am not big on watching other clubs, but decided to go along with him (reserved seats on level 2)

[Remi Moses]

Hawthorn have put the foot down after a sluggish start.
Collingwood look spent ( not surprising considering how many are out)
Not a great way for Luke Ball to go out.
Don't know how others feel but I get more worried when I watch Hawthorn and the like play, as it shows how far we've got to go.

[Eastdog]

Hawthorn have put the foot down after a sluggish start.
Collingwood look spent ( not surprising considering how many are out)
Not a great way for Luke Ball to go out.
Don't know how others feel but I get more worried when I watch Hawthorn and the like play, as it shows how far we've got to go.

Yes we are a fair way behind Remi but hopefully over the next few years we see some results. We have a lot of upside as a team so I'm 'cautiously' optimistic.

[bornadog]

Lake subbed out due to injury, hope he misses all the finals :)

[Remi Moses]

Listening to pie fans threatening not to renew memberships, no game plan etc etc.
Talk about flakey

[chef]

Cmon Carlton.

[chef]

F#ck.

Stupid Gibbs.

[Bulldog4life]

F#ck.

Stupid Gibbs.

Can't believe those 2 Carlton players didn't try to knock ball through for a point.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I can't believe Gibbs couldn't put it through. He's normally a 50 metre plus kick even from a set shot.

[chef]

I can't believe Gibbs couldn't put it through. He's normally a 50 metre plus kick even from a set shot.
Yep, all he needed was a point so he should have just kicked the shit out of it.

[Eastdog]

Bloody hell Richmond are winning. Looking so far that they are going to make the finals.

[Remi Moses]

God no ! Herald Tiger ( err sorry sun ) will have a special tiger edition if they make it.

[Bulldog4life]

Here comes the Swans

[bulldogtragic]

Good games thus far.

[Sedat]

Can't believe those 2 Carlton players didn't try to knock ball through for a point.
Stupid footballers. How can you not punch it through?

[bulldogtragic]

Stupid footballers. How can you not punch it through?

Tanking? That non punch could get them pick 5, not 6. Conspiracy theory?

[Eastdog]

Richmond make the 8. The didn't finish 9th :(

[Remi Moses]

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Great from 3 and 10, but they needed to make the 8 and win a final.
I'd fancy Port to knock over them next week.

[LostDoggy]

Tanking? That non punch could get them pick 5, not 6. Conspiracy theory?

Not to mention Gibbs kicking it as high as possible so it didn't make the distance!

[Eastdog]

Well the 8 has been determined so the Crows and Eagles have no chance of making it now.

[soupman]

Not sure why there is all this hate for Richmond making the finals. They're gonna get knocked out straight away anyway, and watching Sydney get done was very enjoyable. Anyone else see Goodes go down like he was shot?

[Sedat]

Tanking? That non punch could get them pick 5, not 6. Conspiracy theory?
You are underestimating the enormous dislike that Carlton has for Essendon. They desperately wanted to knock them off and would be filthy that their elementary stupidity in the last minute failed to get them a deserved win over the enemy.

[GVGjr]

The Tigers have been impressive. Great win against the Swans

[Hotdog60]

Well at least Hardwick will get a 3 year extension and the membership will jump next year to 150,000

[azabob]

Not sure why there is all this hate for Richmond making the finals. They're gonna get knocked out straight away anyway, and watching Sydney get done was very enjoyable. Anyone else see Goodes go down like he was shot?

I certainly did. I assume the media will hang him out to dry like they did to Bartel last week... :rolleyes:

[Greystache]

I certainly did. I assume the media will hang him out to dry like they did to Bartel last week... :rolleyes:

I'm sure they will. They must have just missed his previous 5 dives :rolleyes:

[Scorlibo]

The Tigers win was absolutely stirring I thought. They'll be my second team this September, purely for the story, imagine if they kept it going!

[Remi Moses]

Been a great story, but they should have been expecting to play finals at seasons start.
They should have been expecting to win a final .

[soupman]

Been a great story, but they should have been expecting to play finals at seasons start.
They should have been expecting to win a final .

At least we can sympathise with a team not quite meeting realistic expectations.