2019 AFL fixture: See who your club plays twice next season
CHAMPION Data has ranked every club’s fixture from hardest to easiest and it’s bad news for Collingwood but good news for Richmond. How does your club fare? SEE WHO YOUR CLUB PLAYS TWICE
COLLINGWOOD has been hit with the hardest fixture for the 2019 season.
Champion Data has run the numbers after the AFL on Thursday revealed the home-and-away fixture for next season, with the Magpies to play premiers West Coast, Richmond and Melbourne — all teams who finished top four this year — twice.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHO YOUR CLUB PLAYS TWICE IN 2019
The Magpies will play 14 matches at the MCG, including nine home games, three at Marvel Stadium and will travel interstate five times with games in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
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“The fixture is as we expected,” Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said.
“Finishing second, we knew that we would be playing more of the top-six teams twice. And this is how it has played out, with us meeting West Coast, Richmond and Melbourne twice next year.”
Hawthorn has received the second-toughest draw, with double up matches against top teams West Coast, GWS and Geelong.
The news is better for premiership favourites Richmond, who have been given the sixth easiest fixture.
The Tigers will play the Magpies and Demons twice but have been given a return bout against wooden spooners Carlton.
St Kilda has been given the easiest fixture of all clubs according to Champion Data after finishing 16th this year after just four wins and a draw.
Of the teams who played finals this year, the Saints will play only Melbourne twice next year. They will play fellow strugglers Gold Coast and Carlton twice in 2019.
St Kilda is among a group of five clubs who have been given a free kick next year with two games against the Suns.
Carlton, GWS, Adelaide and Brisbane will also play Gold Coast twice.
The Suns won just four games this year and have had a turbulent off-season so far, losing co-captains Steven May (Melbourne) and Tom Lynch (Richmond) during the trade period as well as a host of other senior players.
Gold Coast has all but conceded it is starting again from scratch next year, with former Essendon great Matthew Lloyd last month suggesting the Suns would field the “worst list we’ve ever seen put on an AFL field” next year.
The league uses a weighted rule to determine the double match-ups based on the final ladder positions of the previous season.
The rule works as follows:
WHO YOUR CLUB PLAYS TWICE IN 2019
ADELAIDE
West Coast, Geelong, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Gold Coast
BRISBANE LIONS
Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast
CARLTON
Richmond, Sydney Swans, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, Gold Coast
COLLINGWOOD
West Coast, Richmond, Melbourne, Essendon, Western Bulldogs
ESSENDON
Collingwood, GWS Giants, Sydney Swans, North Melbourne, Fremantle
FREMANTLE
West Coast, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda
GEELONG
Hawthorn, Sydney Swans, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs
GOLD COAST
GWS Giants, Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, St Kilda, Carlton
GWS GIANTS
Richmond, Hawthorn, Sydney Swans, Essendon, Gold Coast
HAWTHORN
West Coast, GWS Giants, Geelong, North Melbourne, Brisbane Lions
MELBOURNE
West Coast, Collingwood, Richmond, Sydney Swans, St Kilda
NORTH MELBOURNE
Hawthorn, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Brisbane Lions
PORT ADELAIDE
Richmond, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions
RICHMOND
Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS Giants, Port Adelaide, Carlton
ST KILDA
Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Carlton
SYDNEY SWANS
Melbourne, GWS Giants, Geelong, Essendon, Carlton
WEST COAST
Collingwood, Melbourne, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Fremantle
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Collingwood, Geelong, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Carlton
Originally published as 2019 AFL fixture: See who your club plays twice next season