AFL’s 17-game fixture puts Richmond in pole position to claim back-to-back premierships
Richmond will dodge a run of tough doubles when the AFL reverts to a 17-game season, putting the Tigers in pole position for back-to-back flags. But, which club is the big loser?
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Melbourne looms as the biggest loser in the AFL’s new-look 17-round season.
The Demons hoped to cash in on their 17th placing last year given they had only one double-up encounter against a top-eight team — Collingwood.
They were drawn to play Adelaide, Gold Coast, St Kilda and Fremantle twice.
Premier Richmond’s draw looks simpler now that the Tigers dodge three double-up clashes against premiership contenders.
The AFL’s decision to cut matches means the 6-6-6 aspect of the fixture, which hands struggling teams easier draws, is stripped from the 17-game season.
Under that format top six teams played as many as three double-up games the next season against fellow top-six contenders and bottom-six teams played more against the previous year’s bottom-six clubs.
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The AFL’s new fixture could take weeks to formulate and could even be drip-fed out in three or four-week blocks.
It will likely see interstate clubs travelling to Melbourne and playing two or three games in a 10 or 12 day period.
AFL “war cabinet” member Eddie McGuire’s example cited several times this week is that the Magpies and St Kilda might travel to Perth to stay for a week.
They would take on each other, West Coast and Fremantle in a 10-day period, which would also ensure less contamination between players across that period.
Some clubs will also play only eight home games and others nine home games, while clubs are desperate for the season to be delayed long enough for fans to return to games.
Under Champion Data’s formula West Coast officially had the hardest fixture under the 22-game format and Fremantle the easiest.
West Coast played 2019 top-four sides Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond twice this year as well as Port Adelaide and Fremantle twice.
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Collingwood was the only team to play four 2019 finalists twice this year as well as a Demons side that is predicted to jump back up the ladder.
The Pies took on Richmond, Brisbane, West Coast and Essendon twice until Monday’s fixture change.
But Richmond would seem ideally placed to win back-to-back flags given they dodge double-ups against Collingwood, West Coast and GWS _ the three biggest rivals for the premiership.
They also would have taken on Carlton and Adelaide twice, and didn’t get double-up clashes against likely strugglers Fremantle, Sydney or Gold Coast.
Richmond is the most durable side in the competition but that could change given the league might not have any action until June or July.
But the club’s depth is clearly the best across the competition given it is desperate to play a host of mid-tier players who missed the premiership.
If clubs are forced to play multiple games a week it will sorely test their depth but those with deeper squads and multiple players capable of playing on every line should thrive.
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