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 will play premiership favourites Richmond twice in 2019. Picture: Michael Klein

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.”

Collingwood will play premiership favourites Richmond twice in 2019. Picture: Michael Klein

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.

Draw difficulty for 2019. Rank is hardest to easiest. pic.twitter.com/7TJPHVf2Va

— Champion Data AFL (@championdata) November 1, 2018

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:

How AFL weighting rule works

	TOP 6	MIDDLE 6	BOTTOM 6
TOP 6	T6 v T6: Min two return meetings. Max three return meetings.	M6 v T6: Min one return meeting. Max two return meetings.	B6 v T6: Min 0 return meetings. Max one return meeting.
MIDDLE 6	T6 v M6: Min 1 return meeting. Max two return meetings.	M6 v M6: Min two return meetings. Max three return meetings.	B6 v M6: Min one return meeting. Max two return meetings.
BOTTOM 6	T6 v B6: Min 0 return meetings. Max one return meeting.	M6 v B6: Min one return meeting. Max two return meetings.	B6 v B6: Min two return meetings. Max three return meetings.

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