AFL Fixture Analysis 2023: Which clubs have the easiest run for the rest of the year?
It’s hard to miss West Coast, North Melbourne and Hawthorn at the bottom of the ladder. And one club still has five matches to come against the competition strugglers.
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St Kilda, Essendon and Richmond have the most favourable fixtures ahead as the gap continues to widen between the AFL’s best and worst sides this year.
An analysis of club fixtures shows that the Saints, Tigers and Collingwood are yet to play games against any of the competition’s three most struggling sides — Hawthorn, West Coast and North Melbourne.
St Kilda has five games to come against the three clear wooden spoon favourites, while Richmond has four.
Essendon scored a 59-point win over Hawthorn in the opening round of the season and has two games to come against each of West Coast and North Melbourne.
The Bombers already have four wins under their belt this season and will be a strong finals
chance if they can make the most of those matches, as other sides have done already.
The Hawks, Eagles and Kangaroos have won just four of 21 games between them this season and all have percentages of 66.5 or less.
Opposition sides who have faced off against the trio in recent weeks have not only got the four points, but in many cases have recorded bumper percentage-boosting wins.
Carlton’s percentage leapt from 92.4 to 113.3 on the back of their 108-point belting of the Eagles in Perth last weekend.
West Coast has already lost five games by 40 points or more this season, while the Hawks and Kangaroos have each lost three games by 40 points or more.
On the back of five straight losses, Richmond is one of the rival sides looking to cash in next.
The Tigers face West Coast at the MCG on Saturday, hopeful of turning their season around but conscious any game can turn into a banana peel.
“Any AFL side is dangerous,” Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said of the match up against the Eagles.
“Any side on their day is capable of winning and they’re probably a little bit like us. They’ve got some soldiers down, but the fact of the matter is we both need a win. We’re no different.
“We’ve got to make sure that we play our very best.”
St Kilda faces North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, where Ross Lyon’s side will be looking to further consolidate its top-four spot.
Fremantle hosts Hawthorn in Perth on Saturday night, desperate for what would be just the Dockers’ third win this year.
Melbourne, Carlton and Geelong have already each played two games against the competition’s three worst sides and have ensured they have filled their boots.
The Demons have beaten West Coast (63 points) and North Melbourne (90 points), while the Cats have demolished Hawthorn (82 points) and West Coast (47 points).
In addition to last week’s thumping win over West Coast, the Blues took care of North Melbourne by 23 points in round 4.
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Originally published as AFL Fixture Analysis 2023: Which clubs have the easiest run for the rest of the year?
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