2022 Fixture

[KSAS]

The players need a mid-season break, if for no other reason than allowing them a few days of R&R with the folks.

The bye before the finals is more problematic, mostly because it creates a weekend with no football. It seems silly that the AFL would accept a weekend without football before the finals, but not in the middle of the year.

If this pre-finals bye is to be retained, it can be reworked as follows:
1. Floating fixture with the games of the final round over two weekends. Week 1 - teams competing for a finals place. Week 2 - the other sides. This gives a rest for the finalists but doesn't have a football vacuum. The downside is the matches in the last week would not be very interesting.
2. Reinstate an old finals tradition from the final-four days where elimination finals were played in week 1 of the finals. This is why the final four had a first semi-final and a second semi-final - the first semi-final was played in the first week of the finals, and the second semi-final was played in the second week. In this version, the finals go for five weeks, the two elimination finals are played in week 1, the two qualifying finals are played in week 2, and so on. The only issue here is the elimination finalists don't get an immediate break, but the winners of the elimination finals get a break in week 2.

I prefer option 2.

I also like your option 2 TS. Seems fair that the elimination finalists have to earn a week off by having to win in the first week. The Qualtying winners in week 2 would end up having 2 weeks off over the first 4 weeks before qualifying to play the GF in week 5. I don't see this as a problem, as similar occurred in the old final 5 when whoever finished on top had the first week off.

Not sure how a 5 week finals series would go down with the AFL hirearchy, but I do prefer it than having a bye the week before.

[mcs]

Was it also the year we completed the rare grand slam of recording wins in every state & territory (ACT)?

Yep we won in every state we played in - so not including ACT as we didn't play there (haven't played in Canberra ever since the plastics come in - sadly!) and also the NT (was before any premiership games up there I think anyway).

Its easy to forget so many of the other magnificent wins that year outside of the 3 wonderful finals victories - and even some of the losses (I still remember walking out of the SCG after the late season loss to the Hawks saying this team can win the flag to my mate - we were hugely unlucky that day if memory serves me well but played some tremendous footy, and I was certain we could match the hawks when it counted).

[KSAS]

Its easy to forget so many of the other magnificent wins that year outside of the 3 wonderful finals victories - and even some of the losses (I still remember walking out of the SCG after the late season loss to the Hawks saying this team can win the flag to my mate - we were hugely unlucky that day if memory serves me well but played some tremendous footy, and I was certain we could match the hawks when it counted).

IIRC they received a dubious 50m penalty late in the last quarter along with their regular #freekickhawthorn & Sewell kicked late sealer from centre bounce?

[mcs]

IIRC they received a dubious 50m penalty late in the last quarter along with their regular #freekickhawthorn & Sewell kicked late sealer from centre bounce?

I think you may well be right - I'm sure there was a dodgy 50 in there I definitely remember that. It was a very high quality contest - not dissimilar to the joy to come.

Who knows what 2022 is to bring, but even half the joy that season brought us would make for a great year!

I'm stoked to have the chance to tick another ground off the list with Launceston - should be a quality weekend away

[KSAS]

Thought we were going to be slotted to play Hawks in Round 2 for Buddy's 1000th goal, but that is unlikely if we're playing them just few weeks later on ANZAC day.

[bloodspirit]

Wees and Poos away on Anzac Day at Launceston. Must have wanted to let us celebrate a decade since that magnificent win against them down there by doing it again.

Count me in for a nice long weekend away down there!

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I suspect that means we won't be hosting them in R2 because it is unlikely they would schedule us to play them twice so close together.

[mcs]

I suspect that means we won't be hosting them in R2 because it is unlikely they would schedule us to play them twice so close together.

I reckon it'll be a traditionally relatively low drawing team like lolnorf or gold coast or st kilda at home in Rd 2.

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[liz]

Essendon would be fun in round 2, given the chestnut repeated every time we play them about how he’s terrorised them throughout his career.

Full fixture set to be released on AFL site in half an hour (12.30pm today).

[dimelb]

OK Liz - we get the message!

[i'm-uninformed2]

It's up now. We have a moderately difficult start to the year, and an easier run into the finals (based on where sides finished this year at least). If we can hold steady heading into the bye, we get a good chance to storm up the ladder late.

[mcs]

ROUND OPPONENT VENUE DATE LOCAL TIME HOME / AWAY

Round 1 GWS GIANTS Accor Stadium Saturday, March 19 5:10pm Away

Round 2 Geelong Cats SCG Friday, March 25 7:50pm Home

Round 3 Western Bulldogs Marvel Stadium Thursday, March 31 7:20pm Away

Round 4 North Melbourne SCG Saturday, April 9 1:45pm Home

Round 5 West Coast Eagles Optus Stadium Friday, April 15 5:40pm Away

Round 6 Hawthorn University of Tasmania Stadium Monday, April 25 12:30pm Away

Round 7 Brisbane Lions SCG Sunday, May 1 4:40pm Home

Round 8 Gold Coast SUNS SCG Saturday, May 7 1:45pm Home

Round 9 Essendon SCG Saturday, May 14 7:25pm Home

Round 10 Carlton Marvel Stadium Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22 TBC Away

Round 11 Richmond SCG Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29 TBC Home

Round 12 Melbourne MCG Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5 TBC Away

Round 13 Bye Thursday, June 9 to Monday, June 13

Round 14 Port Adelaide Adelaide Oval Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 19 TBC Away

Round 15 St Kilda SCG Thursday, June 23 to Sunday, June 26 TBC Home

Round 16 Essendon MCG Thursday, June 30 to Sunday, July 3 TBC Away

Round 17 Western Bulldogs SCG Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 10 TBC Home

Round 18 Fremantle Optus Stadium Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 17 TBC Away

Round 19 Adelaide Crows SCG Friday, July 22 to Sunday, July 24 TBC Home

Round 20 GWS GIANTS SCG Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31 TBC Home

Round 21 North Melbourne Marvel Stadium Friday, August 5 to Sunday, August 7 TBC Away

Round 22 Collingwood SCG Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 14 TBC Home

Round 23 St Kilda Marvel Stadium Friday, August 19 to Sunday, August 21 TBC

[mcs]

Not a complaint at all, but some real concentration of home games - 4 in 5 weeks early in the season, then 3 in 4 later in the year.

Definitely a decent run home. If we turn alright @ the bye well placed, we could be well placed.

2 games at Optus Stadium, 1 in Tassie, 1 in Adelaide, 6 in Melbourne, no trip to the Geelong, but none in Queensland (completely a side point, but you'd think the AFL should be able to manage a schedule say >95% of the time where a team plays in each of the states at least once each season - but that just seems far too hard for them to achieve).

Double ups against GWS, Fairypuppies, Lol@Norf, St Kilda, Bombers. A good mix there.