AFL Round 9-12 fixture: Club-by-club difficulty rating

The Round 9-12 fixture – with 33 games over 20 days – will make or break your club’s season. We’ve analysed every team’s run of matches to find out the biggest winners and losers of the short turnarounds.

The AFL’s condensed fixture is something never seen before with 33 games crammed across 20 days.

Midweek double-headers and four-breaks are a feature of a hectic Round 9-12 schedule.

Chris Cavanagh and Simeon Thomas-Wilson have dissected every club’s draw to rate their degree of difficulty in terms of breaks between games.

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ADELAIDE

Played: 7 Won: 0 Lost: 7

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

North Melbourne, Saturday August 1, (Gold Coast)

Melbourne, Wednesday August 5 Adelaide)

Collingwood, Tuesday August 11 (Adelaide)

Western Bulldogs, Sunday August 16 (Gold Coast)

WHAT IT MEANS: Fellow strugglers the Kangaroos could be the Crows best chance to get a win in 2020. It gets a lot tougher from there kicking off with a resurgent Demons. Darcy Fogarty will be back for these matches as could be Wayne Milera from injury. Could Bryce Gibbs make a return?

RATING: TOUGH

BRISBANE

Played: 7 Won: 5 Lost: 2

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Essendon, Friday July 31 (Gold Coast)

Richmond, Tuesday August 4 (Gold Coast)

Western Bulldogs, Saturday August 8 (Brisbane)

North Melbourne, Saturday August 15 (Hobart)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Lions won’t leave Queensland until Round 12, which is a win. But they have to play three games in nine days from Round 9-11, against three fairly handy opponents in Essendon, Richmond and Western Bulldogs. A very healthy list – with only Marcus Adams missing from the best 22 – will help Brisbane navigate that challenge though.

RATING: TOUGH

CARLTON

Played: 7 Won: 3 Lost: 4

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Hawthorn, Thursday July 30, (Perth)

Bye

West Coast, Sunday August 9 (Perth)

Fremantle, Saturday August 15 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Blues have a five-day break and a trip to Perth to navigate between Rounds 8 and 9, but their opponent Hawthorn faces the same challenge. The bye afterwards, followed by a six-day break between Rounds 11 and 12, will help ease the pain. Caleb Marchbank and Jack Silvagni are edging close to returns.

RATING: FAIR

Scott Pendlebury will need to lead the Magpies through a challenging draw. Picture: Michael Klein

COLLINGWOOD

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 2 Draw: 1

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Fremantle, Sunday August 2 (Perth)

Sydney, Thursday August 6 (Brisbane)

Adelaide, Tuesday August 11 (Adelaide)

Melbourne, Saturday August 15 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: After playing the Dockers, the Magpies will have to get back to Brisbane and play Sydney off a five-day break. But the Swans will also be coming off a five-day break. In all, it will be four games in 14 days for Collingwood, which will still be without Jeremy Howe and Jordan De Goey. But no current top-eight opponents helps.

RATING: TOUGH

ESSENDON

Played: 6 Won: 4 Lost: 2

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Brisbane, Friday July 31 (Gold Coast)

GWS Giants, Friday August 7 (Gold Coast)

Gold Coast, Wednesday August 12 (Gold Coast)

St Kilda, Sunday August 16 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Bombers have avoided some of the pain of other sides – for now. They still have to squeeze in their Round 3 game against Melbourne at some point down the track. Only one four-day and one five-day break in this fixture block and not leaving Queensland are big wins. However, there are three current top-eight opponents on the cards.

RATING: EASY

FREMANTLE

Played: 7 Won: 2 Lost: 5

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Collingwood, Sunday August 2 (Perth)

Bye

Hawthorn, Monday August 10 (Perth)

Carlton, Saturday August 15 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: A bye and four-consecutive home games is evened out by the fact they have five days less rest than their opponents over the four rounds. A long injury list has them likely to blood young talent, but can expect Reece Conca, Sam Sturt and captain Nat Fyfe back in the next two weeks. Two more home games likely against Sydney and GWS before going on the move again.

RATING: FAIR

GEELONG

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

West Coast, Saturday August 1 (Perth)

North Melbourne, Wednesday August 5 (Brisbane)

St Kilda, Monday August 10 (Brisbane)

Port Adelaide, Friday August 14 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: A four-day break while shifting from Perth to the Gold Coast could be brutal, especially off the back of a night game against West Coast. In all it is four games in 14 days for the Cats, including three current top-eight opponents. With stars Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett on the sidelines for most, if not all of it, Geelong has a big challenge ahead.

RATING: BLOODY TOUGH

A tough run for Geelong will be made harder without Joel Selwood. Picture: Phil Hillyard

GOLD COAST

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

GWS Giants, Sunday August 2 (Gold Coast)

St Kilda, Thursday August 6 (Gold Coast)

Essendon, Wednesday August 12 (Gold Coast)

Richmond, Monday August 17 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Suns play only two current top-eight opponents and don’t leave Queensland. They also have only one four-day break and one five-day break, making it one of the better overall fixtures. With the exception of Matt Rowell (shoulder) the Suns also have a healthy list.

RATING: EASY

GWS

Played: 7 Won: 3 Lost: 4

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Gold Coast, Sunday August 2 (Gold Coast)

Essendon, Friday August 7 (Gold Coast)

Bye

Sydney, Thursday August 13 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Giants seem to have hit the jackpot with this fixture. They have a nine-day break heading into Round 9, one five-day break and then a bye for their trip to Perth. The bye comes at a good time for a team struggling to get going this season, as do some easier games against the Suns, Bombers and Swans.

RATING: EASY

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HAWTHORN

Played: 7 Won: 3 Lost: 4

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Carlton, Thursday July 30 (Perth)

Bye

Fremantle, Monday August 10 (Perth)

West Coast, Sunday August 16 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Hawks have only a five-day break between Rounds 8 and 9 and a trip to Perth to fit in, but their opponent Carlton is in the same boat. The bye looks to have come at a good time, with the Hawks struggling in recent weeks after a positive start to the season. Forwards Jon Patton and Luke Breust are in the mix to return after the bye

RATING: FAIR

MELBOURNE

Played: 6 Won: 3 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Port Adelaide, Thursday July 30 (Brisbane)

Adelaide, Wednesday August 5 (Adelaide)

North Melbourne, Sunday August 9 (Hobart)

Collingwood, Saturday August 15 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: Not as squeezed a fixture as some others, but a bit of travel for the Demons to navigate over coming weeks. The four-day break between games in Adelaide and Hobart is rough, but there are six-day breaks either side of those matches. Long-term injuries aside, the Demons enter the block healthy.

RATING: TOUGH

Christian Petracca and Melbourne have a lot of travel. Picture: Getty Images

NORTH MELBOURNE

Played: 7 Won: 2 Lost: 5

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Adelaide, Saturday August 1 (Gold Coast)

Geelong, Wednesday August 5 (Brisbane)

Melbourne, Sunday August 9 (Hobart)

Brisbane, Saturday August 15 (Hobart)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Kangaroos have to navigate three games in nine days and a trip to Hobart between Rounds 9 and 11, which won’t be an easy task for a team that has an injury list as long as Ben Brown’s goalkicking run up. But there are seven-day breaks either side of that three-game block and the Kangaroos have a healthy record in Hobart.

RATING: TOUGH

PORT ADELAIDE

Played: 7 Won: 6 Lost: 1

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Melbourne, Thursday July 30 (Brisbane)

Western Bulldogs, Monday August 3 (Adelaide)

Richmond, Saturday August 8 (Adelaide)

Geelong, Friday August 14 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: Tricky run of fixtures for the ladder leaders with two teams in the top eight and the other two knocking on the door. Will play back-to-back games at home for the first time. Ruck Scott Lycett should be back while it remains to be seen what part Ryan Burton and Steven Motlop will play.

RATING: TOUGH

RICHMOND

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 2 Draw: 1

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Western Bulldogs, Wednesday July 29 (Gold Coast)

Brisbane, Tuesday August 4 (Gold Coast)

Port Adelaide, Saturday August 8 (Adelaide)

Gold Coast, Monday August 17 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: Three games in Queensland, but between Rounds 8 and 11 it’s still four games in 16 days for the Tigers. They have a five-day break entering Round 9, a six-day break into Round 10 and then a four-day break into Round 11. All four opponents are also current top-nine sides on the ladder, at a time when Richmond has a host of stars missing. Captain Trent Cotchin could return against the Bulldogs, though.

RATING: BLOODY TOUGH

Dustin Martin and Richmond play teams high on the ladder. Picture: Michael Klein

ST KILDA

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Sydney, Saturday August 1 (Brisbane)

Gold Coast, Thursday August 6 (Gold Coast)

Geelong, Monday August 10 (Brisbane)

Essendon, Sunday August 16 (Brisbane)

WHAT IT MEANS: As much of a holiday as you are going to get for the team in Noosa. The Saints have a seven-day break heading into Round 9, before playing three games in 10 days and then having a six-day break back into Round 12. They don’t have to leave Queensland and face only two current top-eight sides.

RATING: EASY

SYDNEY

Played: 7 Won: 2 Lost: 5

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

St Kilda, Saturday August 1 (Brisbane)

Collingwood, Thursday August 6 (Brisbane)

Bye

GWS, Thursday August 13 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: Like the Giants, the Swans have avoided a lot of pain in this block of games with their trip to Perth and bye. The Swans have a seven-day break heading into Round 9, followed by a five-day break and then the bye. Their opponents aren’t easy, but no teams are when you’re struggling in the bottom four.

RATING: EASY

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Richmond, Wednesday July 29 (Gold Coast)

Port Adelaide, Monday August 3 (Adelaide)

Brisbane, Saturday August 8 (Brisbane)

Adelaide, Sunday August 16 (Gold Coast)

WHAT IT MEANS: In terms of scheduling it’s more than fair for the Bulldogs, who face only one five-day break and no four-day breaks. But in terms of opponents, it’s a tough run with three of the top-four teams to play. That said, the Bulldogs are well placed for it, with only Aaron Naughton, Josh Dunkley and Taylor Duryea sidelined from their best 22 – none of whom are expected back before Round 12.

RATING: EASY

WEST COAST

Played: 7 Won: 4 Lost: 3

TO COME (Rds 9 – 12)

Geelong, Saturday August 1 (Perth)

Bye

Carlton, Sunday August 9 (Perth)

Hawthorn, Sunday August 16 (Perth)

WHAT IT MEANS: With skipper Luke Shuey set to return this week and just a small injury list, a bye plus all home games and no breaks longer than seven days means they arguably come out as the biggest winners from this fixture. One more home game against GWS is likely after this before they hit the road to finish the season.

RATING: EASY

Originally published as AFL Round 9-12 fixture: Club-by-club difficulty rating