"Schedule" wins. And Losses. Do they exist (and in what form?).

[mjp]

Topical for me as we are coming off a win vs a Saints team that was playing it's 3rd game in 11 days. And are about to play a Freo team which just got done by West Coast after 'deciding' to spend a few weeks away from home for Gather Round/the game vs PA which followed.

#1: It is so STUPID that Port get a home game the week after Gather round. Everyone else has just travelled. When it is over, they should have to travel and if that means no game in Adelaide the next week, big whoop.
#2: Freo staying in Adelaide just seems dumb to me. To be fair, with 5-mins to go in each game (Carlton, Port) they were in front but they came home with ZERO points.
#3: St Kilda playing 3-games in 11-games (to be fair, I haven't checked) just seems unfair.

Are the losses just suffered by Freo and St Kilda - both teams performed WAAAAY below expectations - "Schedule" or "Fixture" losses. And if they are, what constitutes such a thing and how can we identify when we are in danger of them in the future???

[bulldogsthru&thru]

I don't know if fixture losses are a thing and if they are, how they would impact a team.

But we blew st kilda away in the 1st quarter. Does that tell us anything? If it was down to the fixture would they fatigue only really in the 2nd half? Or does it impact the players from the get go?

The fixture is a shambles in general and is a huge reason for inequality in the league. Craig Macrae has said it recently that there are many inequalities in it including Collingwood getting 14 games at the mcg.

[jeemak]

Is it as simple as if you're coming off a five or a six day break, and your opponents have a day on you you're vulnerable?

When we played Essendon they were on a 7-6-7 and we were on a 6-6-6 roll, and it seemed we were flat from the outset even if we did blow numerous first half opportunities.

[mjp]

If it was down to the fixture would they fatigue only really in the 2nd half? Or does it impact the players from the get go?

Well...if you assume physical fatigue is the only factor, maybe fatigue late in games would be the issue.

Somehow I doubt the problem is a physical one though. It will just be the mental beatdown of:

- Preparing for multiple opponents in a short-time frame.
- Dealing with travel/different accomodations.
- Timezones, meal-times etc.

[mighty_west]

Trying to get your head around things being fair and equal would just do your head in, and Craig McRae summed it up perfectly (get this guy running the AFL).

The noise was loud after the game about the Saints having to play 3 games in 11 days, but then we played 3 in 12 days, better but not by much.

I think the bigger disadvantages are the breaks, teams coming off a bye seem to struggle against a team that played that week prior, same with finals, the big one, the two winners in the top 4 having such a long break to back up for a Prelim against teams playing in hard fought semi's (most finals) that are usually a step up in intensity on a lot of home and away games, with trying to replicate that intensity in training in the week off would be almost impossible.

[Happy Days]

The Gather Round fixture is a farce. In spite of their being a blatantly obvious solution to have them play each other, both the Adelaide clubs get an extra home game for reasons that have never been explained or even asked about. If Port’s draw to start the year was any softer then the Crows would probably look to spend a top 10 pick on it next year.

If they were real clubs actually capable of succeeding and not complete jokes obsessed with how to stand for the national anthem or what jumper they aren’t wearing then I would be outraged.

[Axe Man]

St Kilda played 3 games in 12 days - 7th, 13th, 18th - a 6 day break followed by 5 days. If you played on 2 consecutive days you have played 2 games in 2 days, not 1 day - you have to count day 1. If you had x2 7 day breaks it would be 3 games in 15 days as a comparison. Given the short breaks and games in Adelaide, Canberra, then Melbourne it was definitely a challenging fixture.

Melbourne stayed in Adelaide after beating Port in round 3 and then defeated the Crows in Gather Round so I don't think Freo's losses can be put down to just that.

[mjp]

Melbourne stayed in Adelaide after beating Port in round 3 and then defeated the Crows in Gather Round so I don't think Freo's losses can be put down to just that.

LOLS. Just checking in to see what happened to Melbourne after their 2-weeks spent in Adelaide? Any ideas?

[bornadog]

Arsenal played 3 games in a week and lost two.
I have said it for a long time, the fixture is a farce

[comrade]

We got shafted by Gather round. Not that it probably matters as they beat us everywhere, but how good was it to get a ?home? game against the Cats.

[Bulldog Joe]

Topical for me as we are coming off a win vs a Saints team that was playing it's 3rd game in 11 days. And are about to play a Freo team which just got done by West Coast after 'deciding' to spend a few weeks away from home for Gather Round/the game vs PA which followed.

#1: It is so STUPID that Port get a home game the week after Gather round. Everyone else has just travelled. When it is over, they should have to travel and if that means no game in Adelaide the next week, big whoop.
#2: Freo staying in Adelaide just seems dumb to me. To be fair, with 5-mins to go in each game (Carlton, Port) they were in front but they came home with ZERO points.
#3: St Kilda playing 3-games in 11-games (to be fair, I haven't checked) just seems unfair.

Are the losses just suffered by Freo and St Kilda - both teams performed WAAAAY below expectations - "Schedule" or "Fixture" losses. And if they are, what constitutes such a thing and how can we identify when we are in danger of them in the future???

1.Agree totally on this. If they want footy in Adelaide after Gather Round why not Port v Adelaide that week.

2. Freo staying in Adelaide was worth a try as it saved a return Perth Flight. Would they have been any better against West Coast if they had flown the extra trip. They may have been much worse against Port as well.
Melbourne stayed in Adelaide for 2 weeks and won both but were abysmal the following week against Brisbane but 3 games in 12 days while Brisbane had a bye and a soft game against North.

3. St Kilda 3rd game in 11 days playing us with 3rd game in 12 and 4th in 18. St Kilda can have an exhaustion excuse but did we get one for our dismal effort against Essendon.

The fixture is inherently unfair and will remain compromised for EVER as the AFL chase revenue not parity.

[Flamethrower]

These things are only a problem if you let them be. When I heard Ross Lyon bring it up during the week leading up to the game it just gave the St Kilda players an excuse to not give 100% from the start, and to give up when things got too hard.

And that is how it played out.

The question is would the game have played out that way if Ross had taken a positive approach to the short breaks and challenged his team to win despite this. We will never know, but it always seems to be mentally fragile teams that succumb to these "difficulties" while mentally strong teams take it all in their stride and win anyway.

[Axe Man]

LOLS. Just checking in to see what happened to Melbourne after their 2-weeks spent in Adelaide? Any ideas?

Any need for a response like this? I don't care if you disagree with me but this is Facebook level rubbish.

[jeemak]

LOLS. Just checking in to see what happened to Melbourne after their 2-weeks spent in Adelaide? Any ideas?

Any need for a response like this? I don't care if you disagree with me but this is Facebook level rubbish.

Nets.

[azabob]

Nets.

Is Yarraville a neutral ground considering the distance in hours both combatants would need to travel?