Tigers' Friday night lights set to be cut downSam McClure
The Age
15th September 2016Richmond's disastrous 2016 season is set to impact next year, with the Tigers likely to be stripped of Friday night fixtures.
Richmond had six Friday night games in the 2016 home-and-away season, but Fairfax Media understands the AFL will grant the Tigers as few as three in this premium timeslot in 2017 to make way for better performing clubs.
The Western Bulldogs are likely to be given more Friday night games than their three in 2016, and the league's newest club, Greater Western Sydney, is likely to be rewarded with at least one Friday night appearance.
Carlton, who were blocked out of Friday nights altogether this season, are likely to be have a choicer draw in 2017, but it remains unclear whether the Blues will move back into the Friday timeslot, or will be given more Saturday afternoon fixtures as a reward for a positive first season under Brendon Bolton.
Essendon had two Friday night games this year, since the fixture had already been done before the WADA appeal resulted in 12 of their current players getting doping bans. The Bombers are likely to have two again next year.
The AFL is yet to commit to its plans for the 2017 season as it reviews the lessons from this year's draws.
Crowd numbers and television ratings are the ultimate measure of the success of featured fixtures.
The round-six Friday night game between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium pulled a huge crowd of more than 47,000, which confirmed to the AFL that Friday night games don't necessarily have to involve one of the big clubs, as long as both teams are playing good football.
Similarly, the round 23 game between Adelaide and West Coast, which rated highly on Channel Seven and Fox Footy, may tempt the AFL to trial more Friday night games between non-Victorian clubs.
The old theory that one of Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond, Essendon or Hawthorn needs to be involved on Friday night does not necessarily apply any more.
The Tigers lost five of their six Friday night games, by an average of 45 points; their only win was a 15-point triumph over arch-rivals Collingwood – who also missed the finals – in round 20.
Their drubbings on the prime-time stage included a 70-point defeat by North Melbourne in Tasmania, a 68-point defeat by West Coast in Perth and a 46-point defeat by Hawthorn at the MCG.
They won't be given the same treatment as Carlton in 2016 and be wiped out completely from the prime time fixture, but they will have games taken from them to make room for this year's attractive more teams such as the Bulldogs and the Giants.
The Giants are bullish about their chances of Friday night games in 2017. They felt the AFL missed an opportunity to hand them their debut in the timeslot when they played North Melbourne in round 23.
Now that a preliminary final exit is the minimum for the franchise club this season, it only strengthens their hand for Friday night games in 2017.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-tigers-friday-night-lights-set-to-be-cut-down-20160914-grg896.html
