Richmond discovers luck of the draw is not so luckyJesse Hogan
May 1, 2012FOR the many priorities and compromises the AFL juggles annually with its fixture, giving teams a balanced run throughout is - as Richmond is discovering - a bridge too far.
The Tigers have only one win from five matches, mitigated by an anomaly that has resulted in being drawn almost exclusively against last year's finalists for the first half of the season.
Richmond's record of already playing three matches against reigning top-four teams is matched only by Hawthorn, which was a top-four club itself. But while the Hawks have only two more matches against reigning finalists before the half-way mark of the season the Tigers face another four, including a top-four clash in round nine (against the Hawks).
Most other Victorian clubs comparable to the Tigers - namely St Kilda, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs - have been drawn to play about 10 matches against reigning finalists, although their split between the first and second halves of the season is roughly even.
Sixteenth-placed Melbourne has, like the Tigers, been drawn to play reigning finalists in eight of its first 11 matches, but has only one additional clash in the second half compared to two for the Tigers. While the AFL generally attempts to give high- and low-ranked teams more matches against similarly ranked teams, the weighting of the draw is based on the overall allocation of matches rather than when they are scheduled during the season.
''We do not break down when clubs meet sides from their position on the ladder last year, as that would be a further complication that would be too big to overcome,'' an AFL spokesman said yesterday. ''Our [fixturing] priorities are stated clearly for the record in October every year, along with the acknowledgment we try to do the best job we can in the circumstances.''
When the fixture was released last October, Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said the allocation of 13 matches at the MCG was ''a terrific result that I'm sure our supporters will appreciate''. ''Overall, we're content with the way the fixture has panned out for us, from both a football and commercial viewpoint,'' Gale said at the time.
Richmond's logjam of tougher matches in the first half of the season has the potential to curb its membership growth. The Tigers have already exceeded last year's season total of 47,655 - they were nudging 48,000 as of late yesterday - but the membership-buying window closes during round 14.
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