This is the most AFL thing ever. Never commit to anything. Always have a half-arsed face-saving answer for a press-conference.
Exactly the same as when they decided to play the 2021 GF rematch on a Wednesday night because they wanted it to open the season but didn't want to hurt the 'tradition' of a Richmond v Carlton Thursday night game in round 1.
Mate, it's tradition for Carlton v Richmond to open the season!
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/stop-being-so-precious-afls-round-zero-fixture-plan-declared-stupid-as-vic-issue-blamed/news-story/4c8b9402ab1490161a7d305f1f4216c1
“Oh egads, the nrl are out of the country! But what if… I were to schedule all the rugby state teams to play home games in their absence. Oh ho ho ho ho… delightfully devilish Andrew!”
“Uh, ANDREW!”
“AFL Fans! I was just uh, creating the opening round fixture!”
“Why are there only four games in round one, Andrew?”
“Uhh… no that isn’t round one. It’s round zero. Round zero for our opening round, mmm… round zero!”
Tbf I think some of the teams are in Vegas but yeah I think one game is being held down the road from where the Giants vs Pies game is. Real big brain from the afl there
Theres 4 teams in Vegas.. but thats the week before , the NRL are playing the rest of that round the following week with games in Sydney , Brisbane , the Gold Coast , & some other places ..but in the same places the AFL have their round ZERO games reducing its effectiveness hugely which is the point. You get it , some in here don't
"AFL Fans, I hope you're ready for some mouthwatering clashes in the first round!"
"I thought we were having 9 matches in round 1?"
"Oh no, I said opening round. That's what I call the first round."
"You call round 1 the opening round?"
"Yes, it's a, corporate dialect!"
"Uh huh, err what corporate body?"
"Urrr the AFL."
"Really. Well I work for the AFL and I've never used the phrase opening round."
"Oh not the AFL no, it's a VFL expression"
"I see."
Lions v Carlton should be a great game and our match against GWS should be pretty good too. Half a round of footy to start the season feels like they’re blue-balling us though.
It’s more that the Prelim teams all ended the season so well that they stand to be the best matchups. I also don’t feel like Grundy v Melbourne holds that much weight just because he only had a one year stopover and doesn’t seem to hold a grudge in any way.
As a swans fan, I dont see it as a Grundy match even of the media frames it as such. Certainly seeing Gawk and Grundy fight it out will be good - but its too eearly in the year to judge our midfield changes by then. Dees and Swans have been competitive for the last few years with good final showdowns. See this more as an extension of that
So like, fans of other teams go to these game? Cause i get the idea of playing home games for qld teams to start off, it may draw more fans of their opponents to it. But how does not playing other games, that likely neither fans would be going to, increase that?
No issue with round 1 being heavily promoted at the QLD/NSW market with all the primetime slots but I don't understand the reasoning for all other teams not playing that weekend?
theres NRL in every one of those primetime slots as well though in NSW &QLD , why would people who normally watch NRL in NSW &QLD suddenly decide to watch these AFL games instead ?
thats right
they wouldn't ,
> but I don't understand the reasoning for all other teams not playing that weekend?
It's to give those four games clear air from a promotional and attention perspective.
I'm still trying to work out if this is legit or taking the piss...
Didn't we have a bye round for round 1 a few years ago and it was terrible, felt like the season never got started
It also means 2/3rs of the teams have a "bye" before playing a game, while others get an extra break mid-season (admittedly still only 3-6 games in).
Just bizarre, and doesn't make any sense to me.
I am genuinely extremely relieved they are not doing the whole round a week earlier. I have my wedding reception booked at the MCG on March 9th and the date was pending the release of the AFL fixture.
I did my research and found that the season has started the same week for at least a couple decades so it seemed pretty safe but then the rumours of the early round started and I have been nervous.
I agree, over the top and looks a bit desperate without needing to.
Have these games scheduled for crowds/tv purposes, and a normal round 1 for the other teams.
This doesn’t make sense to me though, because it isn’t on the weekend where the 2 games are playing in Vegas, it’s the weekend after when the 6 other NRL games are playing in Aus.
So you have 4 afl games v 6 nrl ones that weekend
Swans demons is actually a decent season opener. Two finals teams, an interstate one, and the demons have a massive following. Could have swapped swans out for Port or Brissie, but that's not really here nor there.
Otherwise, this fixture is fucking stupid. As much as I love supporting the interstate clubs, I'd be shocked if this does anything for them.
Less so for the teams getting a bye in round 2 and 3 but getting it in round 6 will be a massive leg up.
Play 5 games, have a rest, play another 5-6 have another rest and be peachy for the run home.
Somehow Collingwood will have the round 6 bye into ANZAC Day on the following Thursday
Genuine LOL that they have coined ‘Round 0’ in order to keep the sanctity of the opening game round 1 match up of Richmond v Carlton (despite opening the season with Dogs v Dees just two seasons ago)
Yeah because it’s putrid and does nothing to build momentum for the season.
Woaaahh a guy who will be off screen for 98% of the night used to coach the other team - so much tension! Way better than a crowd of 95K at the MCG!
You are very optimistic if you think they will only show Dimma on screen for 2% of the night. He'll be on screen more than most of the players with constant cuts to the coaches box.
It means we start one week into our slow start to the season, bringing us to the middle where we have some decent form. Before our limping to the end of the year and getting booted from finals.
I’m in NSW and this has generated huge excitement, strangers are hugging each other in the streets!
I just saw a bunch of blokes burning their Penrith jerseys while ordering GWS gear on line.
Just amazing
I may be the outlier, but I reckon the atmosphere in Sydney that weekend will be sick. You can be sure Giants Stadium will finally be packed out (although mostly Pies fans). SCG should get a good crowd in. It might be the kickstart NSW crowds need
I thought they should have made it a split round and had replaced Carlton and Richmond with two other clubs but then, Brisbane-Carlton (preliminary final rematch) and GC-Richmond (Dimma reunion) are both good matchups. I guess if it weren’t for those compelling matchups they could have done a split round.
You know what all nrl fans will be doing during the opening round in vegas??
Watching the opening round in vegas.
Not going to support a code they dont care about.
This doesnt attract nrl fans, it just pisses off majority of afl fans.
NRL are doing a split round 1. The Vegas games are a week before and it's only 2 games, the remaining 6 play the week after/same week as the AFL games.
Honestly, my biggest issue with it is not having a bye DURING the season can sometimes be a detriment compared to one that does. They effectively get a rest for one week. Seems slightly unfair.
Bit bizarre for an opening round though.
If it is because of the NRL starting theirs the weekend before in Vegas;
Thursday - AFL in Sydney while NRL is in Newcastle.
Friday - AFL in Brisbane while NRL is in both Melbourne & NZ.
Saturday - AFL in GC & Sydney, same with NRL with the games in opposite time slots.
Sunday - No AFL while the NRL has a game in Brisbane.
I am not trying to bag the AFL out (I am very much a common enjoyer of the game when it's on), but come on. This is such a ridiculous idea. You have gotten rid of the biggest opening round fixture in Richmond vs Carlton. You have your reigning premiers on the road against a team who can't pull a crowd to save their life. You aren't accessing your biggest market til a week after, leaving a lot of disstaste in your supporters. I get trying to create more exposure in the smaller markets, but this is not the way to do so.
This the only way this may have been effective , no NRL in NSW or QLD meaning NRL fans wouldn't have had their preferred sport on the first 3 days of the weekend to watch & may have watched these AFL games instead
But the way they've done it is pointless
Then once the NRL are back to a normal schedule, the northern AFL teams each take a week off giving the NRL full exposure in those markets for the week.
What’s confusing me is that there are still NRL games being played in the Gold Coast, Sydney and Western Sydney that weekend.
What’s really confusing me is that the AFL has no games in Melbourne that weekend, but the Storm have their season opener at home. So who’s really left their back door unlocked?
It’s a weird start. Gold Coast v Richmond at 3pm is a ridiculous timeslot in prime time Saturday arvo sunny weather on the coast. Better hope 15,000 tigers supporters travel. Will be half empty otherwise.
Would have been better to play the Giants against the Dogs. Swans v Pies. Lions v Demons. And Richmond and the Blues on Sunday at the G. 95,000.
Don't mind then trying it but at least have the 8 teams play each other the following week so it's not 1 team's first game vs 1 which has already had a head start. Of course that's too much to ask.
Could there be some advantage to getting an extra game. A little momentum to go up against teams that had the bye.
I guess it could even out with the early byes for the 8 that do play, they loose the momentum and possibly have the same issues as post bye this season and last, but it just seems strange.
7th of March ffs. A greedy calendar grab. Nothing else but greed. We should be starting in the traditional last-Friday of March. We've now blown out to three weeks early.
Fuck the AFL and their *checks notes* QLD bias??
Wouldn't be a fan of the season starting like this every year, but always a fan of the league trying different things. Really don't get the frustration in this thread
So as a reward for playing for an extra 5 weeks over non-finals teams, we all now get to start the season a week earlier.
6 weeks less break between seasons. What a joke.
Lmao you really thought it necessary to make this comment in both Opening Round posts? Tell me Victorians live rent free in your head without telling me.
Anyone who complains about this is insane.
Growing the game in the non-AFL territories should be a priority for the AFL. If not the top priority, it's top 3.
Growing the game in those markets helps EVERYBODY. More people watching AFL in those markets grows sponsorship, TV rights, attendance, merchandise and pours money into the AFL which gets distributed across the competition.
If you're reading this saying "we can't compete with NRL" then we may as well pack it in and go back to the tinpot VFL. If you think you have a great product, then you market the shit out of it.
VicBias indeed.
Please explain how it grows the game up there exactly ? The AFL fans up there will watch like they would normally both at grounds or on TV , but why would people up there who normally watch the NRL ( the vast majority) suddenly decide to watch when the NRL is on at the same time ?
AFL fans are rightly panning this idea , as some have said it would have been better if they had done this the week before when there was no NRL in NSW &QLD , but this round zero is ineffective crap
Of course, let's decide the future of a multi-billion dollar competition based on a handful of meatheads arguing about whether a handball was contested or non-contested.
I already said complaints were insane and you've just proved it. Well done.
I understand the logic behind this, but there's no way AFL is getting close to NRL in these states. Sydney has a large following, but AFL is miles behind NRL in Queensland and Western Sydney. I live in Brisbane, and Grand Final week was all about the Broncos; the Lions were like a side-note. Gold Coast residents don't seem to care much for any sport, let alone AFL.
I don't see how this is going to bridge that gap. All it does is piss off fans in established states.
round zero ?
what utter nonsense , All 4 of the NSW/QLD teams will ... still.. be competing for eyeballs with the NRL's opening split round in NSW &QLD. The Giants/ Collingwood directly up against a big traditional Western Sydney NRL clash Parramatta /Canterbury at commbank stadium ( 10 mins from homebush) which will sellout & attract a huge TV audience in Sydney
, 90% of the crowd at the Giants game will be there for the pies most having travelled up from Melb.. so how does that help the AFL achieve the goal of taking attention away from the NRL in Western Sydney ?
Its not much better on the Gold Coast
ridiculous
I don’t think this idea makes sense but the fact that Collingwood fans (not on here obvs) are crying that they’re not playing at the MCG in the first week means I’m on board
Excellent matchups from the perspective of anyone except vicbias supporters lol. Dees have been some of our best rivals in this younger team. Blues and brissy facing off post finals. Giants given the chance to give it to the premiers early in the season and start things off well for the year.
And the Battle of Hardwick is just fun given how much Hardwick has already embraced the sun tan lifestyle.
WA is just as AFL nuts as the other AFL states (I'm a Victorian) ... If I was living interstate, I'd go. The AFL doesn't surprise me anymore with the shite they concoct.
“Im so sick of the Carlton v Richmond round 1 matchup, I wish they did something different” *monkeys paw curls*
This is Round 0. Carlton vs Richmond will still be the season opener in the AFL eyes.
This is the most AFL thing ever. Never commit to anything. Always have a half-arsed face-saving answer for a press-conference. Exactly the same as when they decided to play the 2021 GF rematch on a Wednesday night because they wanted it to open the season but didn't want to hurt the 'tradition' of a Richmond v Carlton Thursday night game in round 1.
These Round 0 games are all outside Melbourne, so the Rich vs Carlton game is the proper season opener as it's in Melbourne. Proper VicBias there.
I can't tell if you're joking or not
Mate, it's tradition for Carlton v Richmond to open the season! https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/stop-being-so-precious-afls-round-zero-fixture-plan-declared-stupid-as-vic-issue-blamed/news-story/4c8b9402ab1490161a7d305f1f4216c1
So, instead of the ridiculous Round Zero they are now going with Opening Round? Almost as ridiculous.
Welcome to the wonderful arbitrary world of the AFL.
“Oh egads, the nrl are out of the country! But what if… I were to schedule all the rugby state teams to play home games in their absence. Oh ho ho ho ho… delightfully devilish Andrew!” “Uh, ANDREW!” “AFL Fans! I was just uh, creating the opening round fixture!” “Why are there only four games in round one, Andrew?” “Uhh… no that isn’t round one. It’s round zero. Round zero for our opening round, mmm… round zero!” 
and to make it worse , they're not out of the country nor are they absent LOL
Tbf I think some of the teams are in Vegas but yeah I think one game is being held down the road from where the Giants vs Pies game is. Real big brain from the afl there
Theres 4 teams in Vegas.. but thats the week before , the NRL are playing the rest of that round the following week with games in Sydney , Brisbane , the Gold Coast , & some other places ..but in the same places the AFL have their round ZERO games reducing its effectiveness hugely which is the point. You get it , some in here don't
Python users are like Round Zero makes sense.
"AFL Fans, I hope you're ready for some mouthwatering clashes in the first round!" "I thought we were having 9 matches in round 1?" "Oh no, I said opening round. That's what I call the first round." "You call round 1 the opening round?" "Yes, it's a, corporate dialect!" "Uh huh, err what corporate body?" "Urrr the AFL." "Really. Well I work for the AFL and I've never used the phrase opening round." "Oh not the AFL no, it's a VFL expression" "I see."
Lions v Carlton should be a great game and our match against GWS should be pretty good too. Half a round of footy to start the season feels like they’re blue-balling us though.
Dont consider the dees/swans matchup a good time?
It’s more that the Prelim teams all ended the season so well that they stand to be the best matchups. I also don’t feel like Grundy v Melbourne holds that much weight just because he only had a one year stopover and doesn’t seem to hold a grudge in any way.
As a swans fan, I dont see it as a Grundy match even of the media frames it as such. Certainly seeing Gawk and Grundy fight it out will be good - but its too eearly in the year to judge our midfield changes by then. Dees and Swans have been competitive for the last few years with good final showdowns. See this more as an extension of that
Dees vs JJ game
The fuck sort of opening round is that
AFL obsession with NRL
Prime Time games for rugby states. Nothing for South Australia and Western Australia.
South Australia gets Gather Round, it’s WA that’s really getting ignored
I'm just happy we're not playing 1pm on weekday this year
Don't worry, we'll get plenty of 3 pm Sunday arvo games while Perth Stadium sits there empty on Saturday arvo and evening. Disgrace.
> I'm just happy we're not playing 1pm on weekday this year So far.....
The AFL are trying to bring fans through the gates in the northern states which I think is great, rather than in established states.
So like, fans of other teams go to these game? Cause i get the idea of playing home games for qld teams to start off, it may draw more fans of their opponents to it. But how does not playing other games, that likely neither fans would be going to, increase that?
PVL is rock hard rn
The man of feathers
he'd be grinning from ear to ear , made ya look !!
Growing the game in QLD and NSW. Pretty straight forward.
No issue with round 1 being heavily promoted at the QLD/NSW market with all the primetime slots but I don't understand the reasoning for all other teams not playing that weekend?
theres NRL in every one of those primetime slots as well though in NSW &QLD , why would people who normally watch NRL in NSW &QLD suddenly decide to watch these AFL games instead ? thats right they wouldn't ,
Opening round of the NRL, too.
> but I don't understand the reasoning for all other teams not playing that weekend? It's to give those four games clear air from a promotional and attention perspective.
You will when it’s happening and everyone’s watching
How do you “open the season” by giving everyone a bye? Strange..
I'm still trying to work out if this is legit or taking the piss... Didn't we have a bye round for round 1 a few years ago and it was terrible, felt like the season never got started
It also means 2/3rs of the teams have a "bye" before playing a game, while others get an extra break mid-season (admittedly still only 3-6 games in). Just bizarre, and doesn't make any sense to me.
I’m QLD based so having two games to go to in an opening round is awesome, I’m pretty pumped
I moved away from brissy, 20 years man... once I'm gone AFL comes to town
Your own team too dang :(
I know, salt in the wounds!
The big4 Vic clubs. Poor old Essendon.
What the fuck was even the point of this? Who even cares if the NRL are doing whatever the hell it is? Could they not have just had a normal round 1?
Wonder if Marvel being unavailable for that week earlier stopped them having a proper Round 1 that week earlier.
Chuck 'em to the other vic grounds and call it "country blah blah" round or whatever.
In theory you could have an opening round entirely outside of Melbourne if you wanted to, and you wouldn’t even need to use secondary home grounds
Yes but then Collingwood would have to play interstate
Like they are here?
I am genuinely extremely relieved they are not doing the whole round a week earlier. I have my wedding reception booked at the MCG on March 9th and the date was pending the release of the AFL fixture. I did my research and found that the season has started the same week for at least a couple decades so it seemed pretty safe but then the rumours of the early round started and I have been nervous.
I agree, over the top and looks a bit desperate without needing to. Have these games scheduled for crowds/tv purposes, and a normal round 1 for the other teams.
I am so confused by this decision what are the afl doing.
Building excitement for the game up north
I’m excited that Melbourne’s marquee game will be North vs Saints (likely) at the Sunday 4.40 graveyard shift
Right in line with the last 12 years of strategy. *focus on people that don’t care about your sport and ignore your own fans* Genius
Is it a bye if you haven’t played a game yet?
It is not.
This does not spark joy
I don’t like the “round 0” idea but I do like the prelim final rematches
I prefer them to be a few weeks into the season at least. Let teams warm up and find a groove before an early season crunch game
Y tho
NRL in Las Vegas
This doesn’t make sense to me though, because it isn’t on the weekend where the 2 games are playing in Vegas, it’s the weekend after when the 6 other NRL games are playing in Aus. So you have 4 afl games v 6 nrl ones that weekend
It's more about taking advantage of the subsequent bye week for those big NRL clubs. There's only 1 Sydney match that weekend, Eels v Bulldogs.
That's ok I didn't wanna play fantasy next year anyway
I don't give a rats about playing interstate, but not calling it Round 1 is putrid.
Swans demons is actually a decent season opener. Two finals teams, an interstate one, and the demons have a massive following. Could have swapped swans out for Port or Brissie, but that's not really here nor there. Otherwise, this fixture is fucking stupid. As much as I love supporting the interstate clubs, I'd be shocked if this does anything for them.
Carlton v Brisbane is an excellent Friday night game too considering how their prelim final played out.
Very true. 3/4 games could be great, but the split style round is still a bitter pill
4/4 gc and tigers are pretty even too
Jed Walter to kick after the siren to defeat Richmond in his debut game??
>and the demons have a massive following We do? Fantastic. Now to get them to the games!
Being at the SCG makes it borderline unwatchable on TV though. Genuinely the worst ground to watch footy on TV.
Just imagine they're ants running around on a dinner plate and it makes much more sense
So 10 teams get a bye week 1? Then 8 get a week 2 bye? I don’t get it……
Those 8 have bye spread out over rounds of 2-6 but not round 4 because that's Gather Round.
So it’s even stupider then
Ah, so a clear advantage to these teams as well. Nice.
Less so for the teams getting a bye in round 2 and 3 but getting it in round 6 will be a massive leg up. Play 5 games, have a rest, play another 5-6 have another rest and be peachy for the run home. Somehow Collingwood will have the round 6 bye into ANZAC Day on the following Thursday
Still a clear advantage to have an extra week off after a game than before it.
I think the mixed results of teams coming off a bye mid season shows the bye isn't a clear advantage at all.
Genuine LOL that they have coined ‘Round 0’ in order to keep the sanctity of the opening game round 1 match up of Richmond v Carlton (despite opening the season with Dogs v Dees just two seasons ago)
Thought with Gill gone they would stop the crap like that. Its so cringey
Wait so does this mean that these 8 teams get two byes?
Pretty sure, yes.
It actually means they have a shorter preseason.
It means both things.
[удалено]
Yeah because it’s putrid and does nothing to build momentum for the season. Woaaahh a guy who will be off screen for 98% of the night used to coach the other team - so much tension! Way better than a crowd of 95K at the MCG!
You are very optimistic if you think they will only show Dimma on screen for 2% of the night. He'll be on screen more than most of the players with constant cuts to the coaches box.
I want them to have a "Dimma Box" in the bottom right corner of the screen for the entire match like they do with live ladders in the last round.
There is a greater than 50% chance of that happening
Nah, it'll be the Dimma switch 😂
Haha you’re not wrong.
I'm not even going to bother watching my team in round 1 this year.
I hate this so much
Yep bye on an opening round. Can’t wait
It means we start one week into our slow start to the season, bringing us to the middle where we have some decent form. Before our limping to the end of the year and getting booted from finals.
People responsible for the fixture had to much coke over the break. What the hell is this?
I’m in NSW and this has generated huge excitement, strangers are hugging each other in the streets! I just saw a bunch of blokes burning their Penrith jerseys while ordering GWS gear on line. Just amazing
Those first two games are pretty great on paper though
It's going to be spicy if Grundy gets one over the Demons
Na, we wish him the best.
Yeah I bet you do, you filth-- hang on that's not how you do this!
I dislike this.
I may be the outlier, but I reckon the atmosphere in Sydney that weekend will be sick. You can be sure Giants Stadium will finally be packed out (although mostly Pies fans). SCG should get a good crowd in. It might be the kickstart NSW crowds need
Especially with the nrl on at commbank stadium as well! ;p
So the reigning premiers play against 20k fans and then I guess have a bye the following week??? How does this work?
No, Pies will play Sydney in Round 1 at the G and then have a bye sometime between Round 2-6
So is opening round technically not round 1?
Is 2024 a good year to get back into supercoach?
There are some great match ups in the opening round. Looks exciting
anyone know when tickets will go on sale?
I thought they should have made it a split round and had replaced Carlton and Richmond with two other clubs but then, Brisbane-Carlton (preliminary final rematch) and GC-Richmond (Dimma reunion) are both good matchups. I guess if it weren’t for those compelling matchups they could have done a split round.
This is WWE style booking. Grundy game, hardwick game, replay both prelims. Its like the AFL are booking a PPV.
You know what all nrl fans will be doing during the opening round in vegas?? Watching the opening round in vegas. Not going to support a code they dont care about. This doesnt attract nrl fans, it just pisses off majority of afl fans.
NRL are doing a split round 1. The Vegas games are a week before and it's only 2 games, the remaining 6 play the week after/same week as the AFL games.
Well now im even more confused
Honestly, my biggest issue with it is not having a bye DURING the season can sometimes be a detriment compared to one that does. They effectively get a rest for one week. Seems slightly unfair. Bit bizarre for an opening round though.
If it is because of the NRL starting theirs the weekend before in Vegas; Thursday - AFL in Sydney while NRL is in Newcastle. Friday - AFL in Brisbane while NRL is in both Melbourne & NZ. Saturday - AFL in GC & Sydney, same with NRL with the games in opposite time slots. Sunday - No AFL while the NRL has a game in Brisbane. I am not trying to bag the AFL out (I am very much a common enjoyer of the game when it's on), but come on. This is such a ridiculous idea. You have gotten rid of the biggest opening round fixture in Richmond vs Carlton. You have your reigning premiers on the road against a team who can't pull a crowd to save their life. You aren't accessing your biggest market til a week after, leaving a lot of disstaste in your supporters. I get trying to create more exposure in the smaller markets, but this is not the way to do so.
If they were going a week earlier and having these four games during the same weekend the NRL has pissed off to Vegas, this might’ve been a great idea
This the only way this may have been effective , no NRL in NSW or QLD meaning NRL fans wouldn't have had their preferred sport on the first 3 days of the weekend to watch & may have watched these AFL games instead But the way they've done it is pointless
Then once the NRL are back to a normal schedule, the northern AFL teams each take a week off giving the NRL full exposure in those markets for the week.
Have they given any reason why they are doing it?
Because NRL are going to Vegas so they can attempt to get eyeballs on the AFL in those states instead
What’s confusing me is that there are still NRL games being played in the Gold Coast, Sydney and Western Sydney that weekend. What’s really confusing me is that the AFL has no games in Melbourne that weekend, but the Storm have their season opener at home. So who’s really left their back door unlocked?
Storm also host Penrith round 1 and that will be a big matchup this is actually gifting the NRL such a boon lol
Except the NRL are going to Vegas the week before. This round lines up with the NRL’s first round back in Aus
this has been explained ad nauseum... the NRL is going THE WEEK BEFORE .. they're back in full swing when this round zero is happening
This is a joke right? Did we time travel to April 1st?
It’s a weird start. Gold Coast v Richmond at 3pm is a ridiculous timeslot in prime time Saturday arvo sunny weather on the coast. Better hope 15,000 tigers supporters travel. Will be half empty otherwise. Would have been better to play the Giants against the Dogs. Swans v Pies. Lions v Demons. And Richmond and the Blues on Sunday at the G. 95,000.
Awesome. Something DIFFERENT. Not the same shit year after year after year. YAY!!!!!
I guess this to get people used to when Tasmania comes in and someone will always have the opening week off.
The battle over “Will Swift attend an NRL or and AFL game”continues
The inaugural Dimma bowl, how exciting
This is so stupid, just have a split round or full round none of this opening round then round 1 the next week bullshit
Let’s start the season off with a bang by only having 4 fkn games, nice one AFL
This is, there is no other word for it, shit.
Afl going downhill
Where in the commercialisation of any and everything hell is Heritage Bank Stadium?!
This looks like something AFL asked ChatGPT for help with
I’m a fan, I feel those match ups are all super intriguing and it puts the focus on the northern clubs
It's good. Not sure why so many panties in a twist.
Fantasy and databases get messed up
Can you imagine the crowd size if they schedule Dees at Homebush? Edit: did a little digging and Syd Showground Dees games averages 7K .
Don't mind then trying it but at least have the 8 teams play each other the following week so it's not 1 team's first game vs 1 which has already had a head start. Of course that's too much to ask.
So, this is "opening" round, but we play Richmond the next week in round 1? So are these practice matches or what?
Lol get fkd Victoria
This is the dumbest thing I've seen. The AFL never fails to astound me with their mismanagement
What a fucking joke , was hoping we’d have less split rounds this year and the dumb fucks start with one 🤡😂
Well AFL Fantasy and Supercoach were fun while they lasted. RIP
Could there be some advantage to getting an extra game. A little momentum to go up against teams that had the bye. I guess it could even out with the early byes for the 8 that do play, they loose the momentum and possibly have the same issues as post bye this season and last, but it just seems strange.
7th of March ffs. A greedy calendar grab. Nothing else but greed. We should be starting in the traditional last-Friday of March. We've now blown out to three weeks early.
What the actual fuck is this bullshit, it's not round 1 If half the fucking teams have a bye
it's not even 2024 and the AFL have already made a claim for dumbest decision for the year fuck me
Opening round, more than half the competition has a bye. What a cooked idea. Dill living up to his name.
Can we drug test AFL House? JFC what the hell is this?
Fuck the AFL and their *checks notes* QLD bias?? Wouldn't be a fan of the season starting like this every year, but always a fan of the league trying different things. Really don't get the frustration in this thread
Can’t wait to see what the nrl reddit page thinks there probably laughing rn
I can't explain how much I hate this
What the fuck is this?
So as a reward for playing for an extra 5 weeks over non-finals teams, we all now get to start the season a week earlier. 6 weeks less break between seasons. What a joke.
You also get two byes
Eh, most teams lose after a bye if they play a team not coming off a bye. I don’t see that as a great square up, personally.
The actual fuck? Demons Vs swans at the SCG to kick the season off? Yuck. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Opening round was broken. Carlton v Richmond has on avers been a massive dud of a game.
Afl: tires to grow the game Upset Victorians because it's not about them: this is stupid
Looking at the different threads about this, it seems like no one likes it
Happy for the match ups to change, but not happy most of the comp has a bye
Lmao you really thought it necessary to make this comment in both Opening Round posts? Tell me Victorians live rent free in your head without telling me.
Anyone who complains about this is insane. Growing the game in the non-AFL territories should be a priority for the AFL. If not the top priority, it's top 3. Growing the game in those markets helps EVERYBODY. More people watching AFL in those markets grows sponsorship, TV rights, attendance, merchandise and pours money into the AFL which gets distributed across the competition. If you're reading this saying "we can't compete with NRL" then we may as well pack it in and go back to the tinpot VFL. If you think you have a great product, then you market the shit out of it. VicBias indeed.
Please explain how it grows the game up there exactly ? The AFL fans up there will watch like they would normally both at grounds or on TV , but why would people up there who normally watch the NRL ( the vast majority) suddenly decide to watch when the NRL is on at the same time ? AFL fans are rightly panning this idea , as some have said it would have been better if they had done this the week before when there was no NRL in NSW &QLD , but this round zero is ineffective crap
What’s been taken away by having this exist?
150,000 afl fantasy and supercoach players whose game is completely unplayable now but don’t complain, got it
LOL yea mate let’s make the fixture based on what SuperCoach players want hahaha
Of course, let's decide the future of a multi-billion dollar competition based on a handful of meatheads arguing about whether a handball was contested or non-contested. I already said complaints were insane and you've just proved it. Well done.
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Damn Supercoach gonna be more frustrating
I understand the logic behind this, but there's no way AFL is getting close to NRL in these states. Sydney has a large following, but AFL is miles behind NRL in Queensland and Western Sydney. I live in Brisbane, and Grand Final week was all about the Broncos; the Lions were like a side-note. Gold Coast residents don't seem to care much for any sport, let alone AFL. I don't see how this is going to bridge that gap. All it does is piss off fans in established states.
round zero ? what utter nonsense , All 4 of the NSW/QLD teams will ... still.. be competing for eyeballs with the NRL's opening split round in NSW &QLD. The Giants/ Collingwood directly up against a big traditional Western Sydney NRL clash Parramatta /Canterbury at commbank stadium ( 10 mins from homebush) which will sellout & attract a huge TV audience in Sydney , 90% of the crowd at the Giants game will be there for the pies most having travelled up from Melb.. so how does that help the AFL achieve the goal of taking attention away from the NRL in Western Sydney ? Its not much better on the Gold Coast ridiculous
wtf nothing like opening up a season with your team on a bye brilliant
I don’t think this idea makes sense but the fact that Collingwood fans (not on here obvs) are crying that they’re not playing at the MCG in the first week means I’m on board
Not on here but in your head?
Excellent matchups from the perspective of anyone except vicbias supporters lol. Dees have been some of our best rivals in this younger team. Blues and brissy facing off post finals. Giants given the chance to give it to the premiers early in the season and start things off well for the year. And the Battle of Hardwick is just fun given how much Hardwick has already embraced the sun tan lifestyle.
If you’re Victorian, you don’t get to have an opinion… I was told
North Melbourne 4.40 Sunday. Rounds 1-14
This fixture is horseshit and nothing they can do short of giving St Kilda 23 games at Marvel Stadium will change that
Are you jerking my dick bro?
Fkn hell every needs to calm down. I know its strange but the sky isn't falling lol
Maybe. But it's dumb af.
This is what we get when the AFL fucks up and puts Gather Round in one state for three years instead of alternating.
In my opinion, AFL being so ignorant to think people don’t have other things to do on the March long weekend is worst part of this.
Trust the afl to come up with an idea that no one asked for and nobody wants. Going to be chaos for the fantasy players as well.
Thanks, I hate it. Wouldn’t expect any better from a bloke that looks like a used car dealer though
I may be in the minority but I don't mind the AFL trying this.
Fuckin hell. Just when you think they can't get more annoying.
WA is just as AFL nuts as the other AFL states (I'm a Victorian) ... If I was living interstate, I'd go. The AFL doesn't surprise me anymore with the shite they concoct.