It's out - AFL haven't done Michael Voss any favours, 5 interstate trips in the first 11 games.
Play WB, StK, Coll, Rich, Bris twice.
On the whole, I reckon that's a tough draw for a team that finished 11th.....
Im shocked we didnt get Sydney twice instead of the bulldogs.
Its also a shame we didnt get one of West Coast or North Twice.
I suppose Richmond is a better drawcard, would have been good to get the Bombers twice. Hopefully Collingwood finally hit the skids.
Guess they wanted to avoid Charlie fronting up to a hostile home crowd......
I thought it's a reasonable draw, not too hard and not easy.
It's bizarre the breadth of opinions you get, beat ups perhaps, bias maybe. I've surveyed the feedback from "specialist commentators" this afternoon and we've been labelled everything from strugglers to the Darlings of the AFL, our draw everything from a brutal baptism of fire to a golden ticket.
The commentary is so last year, you could almost be forgive yourself for thinking it was cut and paste!
I think I wrote it back then, and I'll write it again, you probably find 2 or 3 versions of every commentary, that later in the season will selectively be promoted or erased subject to the likely season outcome, and this time next year they'll tell you they told you so!
Too bad if you wanna take your kids to any games.
Only got 15 rounds announced thus far.
With an opening round, and 2 byes, that works out to 14 games.
From those 14 games......
4 games are on a Thursday night - 2 of them are interstate
2 games are on a Friday night - 1 of them is interstate
4 games are on a Saturday night - 2 of them are interstate
1 game is on a Sunday night - annual kings b'day eve game with Bombers.
That leaves 3 games...
1 is Saturday afternoon - interstate
1 is on Good Friday twilight - Annual game against Kangas - we go away every easter, so that doesn't help me
1 is Sunday afternoon....looks like i'm taking the kids to the Melbourne game because i have no choice of any other game.
We don't have to travel interstate from rounds 16-24, so should hopefully find something in there too, but without any days/times, who knows.
A few whingers are on about our healthy share of prime time spots, despite our poor form last season. Perhaps they should consider the bums on seats we attracted right through the season.
I would have preferred more travel friendly timeslots.
I've had a look at thr first 8 weeks.
Sydney are gettable.
Richmond is a should win game.
Melbourne and North Melbourne could and likely should both be wins.
Adelaide and Collingwood using history as a guide we are almost no chance, but the pies should be at their most vulnerable lately and should be "gettable"
Freo have to be favourites based on last year but im not so scared of them.
St kilda are a lottery. 8 rounds in could be the start of the wheels falling off or a scary proposition.
Inside the club we should be looking to win every game but id be confident of 4 wins from that group. If the moons allign maybe even 6. If vossys getting the chop we'll only beat Melbourne.
If we go by last time we met we will be 2-9 after 11 rounds.
Great result for Stkilda, after rnd13 every game at Marvel bar two.
No excuses for Ross and SOS..got to be finals next season as a pass mark.
And yet in the media there are already excuses being made with allegations of bias in the early season, ironic isn't it?
That's the thing with the whingers, enough is never enough!
Fortunately, things tend to change alot year by year. What seems like a hard draw for clubs can end up and easy draw and vice versa.
We can hope.
I hate Thursday night football; I can never get to those games. And yet we still seem to have more than out share. :(
Sadly for supporters like you and me Crash, many Bluebaggers love Thursday night footy and the AFL will always respond to bums on seats.
Hopefully I'll get to the games held at civilised hours :)