Official 2018 Draw/Fixture

[one-eyed]

Your club's fixture: The final verdict

Nathan Schmook
afl.com.au
31 October 2017

RICHMOND

PROS: The Tigers are back on the big stage after winning the flag, earning eight Thursday/Friday night games (up from two in 2017). They open the season with six of their first seven games at the MCG, and close with four of their last five on their home ground.

CONS: The only bottom six team Richmond plays twice is Collingwood, arguably the toughest of the group. Essendon and St Kilda are also tough double meetings from the middle six. Rounds 11-17 are difficult, with six straight games against 2017 finalists.   

PLAY TWICE: Adelaide, Geelong, Essendon, St Kilda, Collingwood

BYE: Round 14

FIRST FOUR WEEKS: Carlton (h), Adelaide (a), Hawthorn (h), Brisbane Lions (h)

LAST FOUR WEEKS: Geelong (h), Gold Coast (a), Essendon (h), Western Bulldogs (h)

SIX-DAY BREAKS: Seven

ANZAC EVE PENALTY: Included in the Tigers' seven six-day breaks is a five-day turnaround following their Anzac Eve clash against Melbourne. The Tuesday night match will be a historic first.

THEY SAY: TBC

WE SAY: A premiership gets you back on the big stage, and the Tigers will be thrilled with that after being bumped off the Friday night stage altogether on 2017. They have maintained their marquee matches against Melbourne and Essendon and have a fixture that should result in big crowds again. They have fared reasonably will with the double match-ups from the top six, but less so with the middle and bottom brackets. Hosting Sydney at Etihad Stadium will probably frustrate the club, with their fans showing a reluctance to cross to the Docklands venue.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-31/your-clubs-fixture-the-final-verdict

[one-eyed]

RICHMOND has gone from receiving the second-easiest draw this year to the second-hardest in 2018 in what looms as a major hurdle in its premiership defence.

The Tigers are ranked behind only Fremantle in Champion Data’s draw difficulty ratings while Collingwood’s run has officially been deemed the easiest of the AFL’s 18 clubs.

Richmond faces double-up matches against Adelaide, Geelong, Essendon, St Kilda and Collingwood next season.

This year the Tigers faced Greater Western Sydney, St Kilda, Carlton, Fremantle and Brisbane twice, winning seven of 10 matches against those opponents.

Under the rankings formula, this year’s runner-up Adelaide was deemed the hardest team to play based on its for-and-against points differential of +639 in 2017, while Port Adelaide, Sydney and Geelong are considered the other hardest opponents.


Draw difficulty

Ranking (hardest to easiest)   Club   2017 ladder finish (post finals)
1   Fremantle   14th
2   Richmond   1st
3   West Coast   6th
4   Hawthorn   12th
5   St Kilda   11th
6   GWS   4th
7   Melbourne   9th
8   Adelaide   2nd
9   Western Bulldogs   10th
10   Essendon   8th
11   Carlton   16th
12   Brisbane   18th
13   Geelong   3rd
14   Sydney   5th
15   Port Adelaide   7th
16   Gold Coast   17th
17   North Melbourne   15th
18   Collingwood   13th

* Draw difficulty as assessed by Champion Data

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/richmond-goes-from-afls-secondeasiest-draw-to-secondhardest-while-collingwood-gets-dream-run/news-story/3402a919643eaab388715b312b99ce0f

[tony_montana]

What a load of bollocks

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Bring them on!