QAFL fixture breakdown: How difficult every club’s final 10 games of the season are
With 10 rounds to play the race for the finals is on. We have analysed every team’s run home using our fixture formula to discover which teams have it easier than others.
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The QAFL season has moved into the back half of the campaign and with 10 home and away rounds remaining, The Bulletin has taken a look at each Gold Coast club’s schedule to see just how tough the run home is in the race to finals.
We have broken down the fixture rankings into Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast-based clubs. Each locale has its own points multiplier for determining fixture strength.
Gold Coast
Ladder position: 1st = 12pts, 2nd = 11pts, 3rd = 10pts … 12th = 1pt
Home Game:x1.0
Away Game (GC):x1.2
Away Game (Bris):x1.4
Away Game (SC):x1.5
Example: Surfers Paradise @ Noosa (5th) – 8x1.5=12pts
SURFERS PARADISE (10th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 78.4
Round 12 @ Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 13 v Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 14 @ Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 15 @ Labrador (4th)
Round 16 v Aspley (3rd)
Round 17 @ Noosa (5th)
Round 18 v Broadbeach (1st)
Round 19 v Wilston Grange
Round 20 @ Sherwood (12th)
Round 21 v Mt Gravatt (11th)
The Demons have the hardest run home of any Gold Coast team, despite getting to play Mt Gravatt twice as well as bottom-ranked Sherwood. The most difficult fixtures come in Round 12 (at Redland-Victoria Point), Round 15 (at Labrador), Round 17 (at Noosa) and Round 18 (versus Broadbeach). The Dees have to play every team in the top six over the last 10 rounds including two of the most difficult trips for a Gold Coast club: Sharks and Noosa away.
PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN (6th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 76.8
Round 12 @ Aspley (3rd)
Round 13 @ Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 14 v Broadbeach (1st)
Round 15 @ Broadbeach (1st)
Round 16 @ Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 17 v Maroochydore
Round 18 v Noosa (5th)
Round 19 BYE
Round 20 v Labrador (4th)
Round 21 @ Wilston Grange (8th)
The Lions are the only team to have to play Broadbeach twice in the run home, and it comes in back-to-back weeks thanks to a rain enforced fixture reshuffle. The other tough tests are Aspley away this weekend and Labrador at home in Round 20. The Round 17-18 schedule, bringing both Maroochydore and Noosa to Veracity Oval, looms as a pivotal fortnight for the Lions that could shape their finals hopes.
LABRADOR (4th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 75.8
Round 12 v Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 13 @ Broadbeach (1st)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 v Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 16 v Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 17 @ Aspley (3rd)
Round 18 @ Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 19 @ Morningside (9th)
Round 20 @ Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 21 v Noosa (5th)
Rounds 17 and 18 are where we will learn the most about Labrador’s flag chances, when the Tigers travel in back-to-back weeks to play Redland-Victoria Point and Aspley. It begins a month-long run of away fixtures that also includes a tough trip to face Palm Beach Currumbin. They also have Broadbeach away as soon as next week, meaning the Tigers play the rest of the top four away from home over the next two months. Tough stuff.
BROADBEACH (1st)
SCHEDULE RATING: 70.6
Round 12 @ Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 13 v Labrador (4th)
Round 14 @ Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 15 v Palm Beach Currumbin. (6th)
Round 16 v Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 17 BYE
Round 18 @ Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 19 @ Maroochydore (7th)
Round 20 v Aspley (3rd)
Round 21 @ Morningside (9th)
By design the Cats should have an easier schedule, because of course they can’t play themselves. But Broadbeach also has the luxury of not playing a single top four rival away from home. Labrador, Redland-Victoria Point and Aspley will all travel to Subaru Oval in the run into the finals, setting the Cats up nicely for a look at the minor premiership. Only two trips into Brisbane and Maroochydore away takes the Cats away from the Coast.
Brisbane
Ladder position: 1st = 12pts, 2nd = 11pts, 3rd = 10pts … 12th = 1pt
Home Game:x1.0
Away Game (Bris):x1.2
Away Game (SC):x1.4
Away Game (GC):x1.4
Example: Redland-Victoria Point @ Broadbeach (1st) – 12x1.4=16.8
MORNINGSIDE (9th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 81.4
Round 12 @ Noosa (5th)
Round 13 @ Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 v Aspley (3rd)
Round 16 v Sherwood (12th)
Round 17 @ Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 18 @ Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 19 v Labrador (4th)
Round 20 @ Maroochydore (7th)
Round 21 v Broadbeach (1st)
The Panthers have the second-hardest remaining fixture of any team in the QAFL. Two trips north to the Sunshine Coast, as well as an away day at premiership fancies Redland-Victoria Point punctuate a tough run home. Add to that home games against top four teams Broadbeach, Labrador and Aspley and the Panthers are up against it in the race for the top six.
ASPLEY (3rd)
SCHEDULE RATING: 67
Round 12 v Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 13 @ Maroochydore (7th)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 @ Morningside (9th)
Round 16 @ Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 17 v Labrador (4th)
Round 18 v Maroochydore (7th)
Round 19 v Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 20 @ Broadbeach (1st)
Round 21 v Sherwood (12th)
By the end of Round 20 we should have a good idea about just how big a threat Aspley is to the QAFL premiership this season. That away trip to Broadbeach in the penultimate home and away round caps off a tough month of fixtures for the Hornets, which includes visits from top four rivals Labrador and Redland-Victoria Point, as well as the plucky Maroochydore Roos. In the Hornets’ favour is that all those games come at Graham Road – though again, the trip to Broadbeach to face the reigning premiers will be the true test.
SHERWOOD (12th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 56.4
Round 12 @ Maroochydore (7th)
Round 13 v Noosa (5th)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 @ Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 16 @ Morningside (9th)
Round 17 v Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 18 v Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 19 BYE
Round 20 v Surfers Paradise (10th) 3x1=3
Round 21 @ Aspley (3rd) 10x1.2=12
The Magpies are winless through 11 rounds but they have not been easybeats this season. Sherwood claimed some shock scalps in 2021 and it wouldn’t surprise if they did again in the final 10 rounds. The next fortnight looms as a tough litmus test, first away to Maroochydore before welcoming Noosa to Sherwood. Round 15 at Redland-Victoria Point is the Magpies’ toughest remaining test, following by a final round trip to Aspley.
REDLAND-VICTORIA POINT (2nd)
SCHEDULE RATING: 54.2
Round 12 v Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 13 v Morningside (9th)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 v Sherwood (12th)
Round 16 @ Broadbeach (1st)
Round 17 BYE
Round 18 v Labrador (4th)
Round 19 @ Aspley (3rd)
Round 20 @ Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 21 v Maroochydore (7th)
The Sharks have the luxury of two byes in the run home, making their overall rating much lower than rivals – but there is a catch. There could be no truer test of a team’s premiership credentials than the one Phil Carse’s side will face from Rounds 16-19. It begins with a trip to Broadbeach, in a potential grand final preview. The bye follows in Round 17, before a home clash with Labrador and away trip to Aspley the following fortnight – all teams currently in the top four and likely to be finals rivals.
WILSTON GRANGE (8th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 52.2
Round 12 v Broadbeach (1st)
Round 13 @ Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 v Maroochydore (7th)
Round 16 @ Labrador (4th)
Round 17 v Morningside (10th)
Round 18 @ Sherwood (12th)
Round 19 @ Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 20 @ Noosa (5th)
Round 21 v Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Two trips to the Gold Coast and one to the Sunshine Coast headline the Gorillas’ run home. By the numbers, Wilston Grange has the second-easiest schedule of any team in the QAFL so don’t count the Gorillas out of finals contention just yet. They face four teams below them on the ladder and only two currently inside the top four.
MT GRAVATT (11th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 49.6
Round 12 @ Labrador (4th)
Round 13 v Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 14 v Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 15 @ Noosa (5th)
Round 16 v Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 17 @ Sherwood (12th)
Round 18 v Morningside (9th)
Round 19 BYE
Round 20 v Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
Round 21 @ Surfers Paradise (10th)
The Vultures face two of the toughest road trips in the QAFL in the final 10 rounds, beginning this weekend with Labrador at Cooke-Murphy Oval. The other is at Noosa, a team that should have finals aspirations after a great start to the season. Two games against Surfers Paradise and a trip to Sherwood in Round 17 loom as games the Vultures will circle in trying to get something out of an otherwise disappointing 2022 campaign.
Sunshine Coast
Ladder position: 1st = 12pts, 2nd = 11pts, 3rd = 10pts … 12th = 1pt
Home Game:x1.0
Away Game (SC):x1.2
Away Game (Bris):x1.4
Away Game (GC):x1.5
Example: Maroochydore @ Palm Beach Currumbin (6th) 7x1.5=10.5
MAROOCHYDORE (7th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 81.9
Round 12 v Sherwood (12th)
Round 13 v Aspley (3rd)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 @ Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 16 v Noosa (5th)
Round 17 @ Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 18 @ Aspley (3rd)
Round 19 v Broadbeach (1st)
Round 20 v Morningside (9th)
Round 21 @ Redland-Victoria Point (2nd)
If Maroochydore is to reprise its incredible run to the top six (and subsequently the grand final) of last season, it will have to overcome the hardest draw in the QAFL. Despite having only four away trips in the final 10 rounds, three of those come against finals contenders. Add to that home matches against Aspley, Noosa and Broadbeach and there are very few games for the Roos to pencil themselves in a win.
NOOSA (5th)
SCHEDULE RATING: 45.6
Round 12 v Morningside (9th)
Round 13 @ Sherwood (12th)
Round 14 BYE
Round 15 v Mt Gravatt (11th)
Round 16 @ Maroochydore (7th)
Round 17 v Surfers Paradise (10th)
Round 18 @ Palm Beach Currumbin (6th)
Round 19 BYE
Round 20 v Wilston Grange (8th)
Round 21 @ Labrador (4th)
While Sunny Coast rivals Maroochydore stare down the draw of death, Noosa boasts the easiest run home of any team. Two byes help, of course, but the Tigers only have four away trips in the final 10 rounds and one of those is up the road at Maroochydore. Add to that an away day at winless Sherwood and Noosa has a favourable run home. The only team in the top four that they play before finals is Labrador in the final round, which will be a great test to see where they are at before the whips start cracking.
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