2018 Fixture

[Professer E]

Travis Auld let the cat out on SEN yesterday.... The AFL are concerned about our financial position, especially the failure to attract a major sponsor.  The night games are to make us attractive at a corporate level.

The media pundits are clueless.

[DJC]

Travis Auld let the cat out on SEN yesterday.... The AFL are concerned about our financial position, especially the failure to attract a major sponsor.  The night games are to make us attractive at a corporate level.

The media pundits are clueless.

I heard that and thought that Auld was making it up on the run.  Didn't Virgin Australia take over from Career One?

We also picked up CUB and Uber as sponsors during the year.

[Thryleon]

Not sure why both articles refer to 2015. The club is unrecognizable compared to now.

When LP says something about an underlying media white anting of Carlton, you should listen and even if you reject that hypothesis, test it before rejecting it.  Thoroughly.

I think they will line up to kick us at each and every opportunity presented.  I don't believe its down to any other factor, but our history.  We were historically the most hated arrogant club, so to have non Carlton alligned media hate us makes sense, particularly when those self proffessed people back clubs like Essendon, Collingwood and Richmond.

None of these lightweights have talked about how few prime time slots we got in 2017 and 2016 however, choosing only to focus on things that sell their story.

Meanwhile, notice how not one other club has been mentioned in this conversation?

Also, its a bit rich to play the man.  We have all of 2 home games on Friday night.  1 against Collingwood, and the other against Adelaide in the final round of the season which is supposed to be a floating fixture which changes based on the way the season unfolds (unless I am mistaken) which means that its not genuinely a Friday night game as everyone is listed as playing on that Friday night currently. 

The other 2 friday night fixtures, are our opponents choice.  1 in Sydney.  The other is the Bulldogs.

As far as I am aware, the clubs go to the AFL with requests to play clubs at home, and the the AFL have to balance that accordingly against the requests of the home team fixturing as receipts at the gate are still part of this equation.  Irrespective of what TV land thinks of our club and where we are at, we are still better visiting teams to have at the gate for clubs than most of the teams "crying" about the lack of friday night fixturing because we do have a big supporter base, who do go to games, particularly in places like Sydney, and WA. 

Our season opener is about 10 years old now, and shouldn't be mentioned in this conversation yet it is.

[madbluboy]

Travis Auld let the cat out on SEN yesterday.... The AFL are concerned about our financial position, especially the failure to attract a major sponsor.  The night games are to make us attractive at a corporate level.

The media pundits are clueless.

Spot on, Trigg was running us into the ground.

[PaulP]

The reason both articles refer to 2015 is that the writers are bereft of arguments to support their opinions.

One thing that Bolton has done is reduce the number of blow outs.  Our footy may not be exhilarating but the results are usually quite close - and that's good for TV audiences.  However, a long, hard season with very few hardened campaigners could see us fall away towards the end of the season.  That could present some unedifying spectacles.

My initial question was partly rhetorical.

I think an absorbing, closely fought, 4 quarter contest is more enjoyable than a blowout game, which is over by 1/4 time. I watched many games with the Crows etc. that became a pointless spectacle by half time.

I'm no fan of the style we play, but that's only part of the issue. The main issue is what both teams bring to the contest to make it a great game of footy. We were in plenty of games, with final quarter leads in 7 of them, so there's more to it than shoot out footy.

[PaulP]

When LP says something about an underlying media white anting of Carlton, you should listen and even if you reject that hypothesis, test it before rejecting it.  Thoroughly.

I think they will line up to kick us at each and every opportunity presented.  I don't believe its down to any other factor, but our history.  We were historically the most hated arrogant club, so to have non Carlton alligned media hate us makes sense, particularly when those self proffessed people back clubs like Essendon, Collingwood and Richmond.

None of these lightweights have talked about how few prime time slots we got in 2017 and 2016 however, choosing only to focus on things that sell their story.

Meanwhile, notice how not one other club has been mentioned in this conversation?

Also, its a bit rich to play the man.  We have all of 2 home games on Friday night.  1 against Collingwood, and the other against Adelaide in the final round of the season which is supposed to be a floating fixture which changes based on the way the season unfolds (unless I am mistaken) which means that its not genuinely a Friday night game as everyone is listed as playing on that Friday night currently. 

The other 2 friday night fixtures, are our opponents choice.  1 in Sydney.  The other is the Bulldogs.

As far as I am aware, the clubs go to the AFL with requests to play clubs at home, and the the AFL have to balance that accordingly against the requests of the home team fixturing as receipts at the gate are still part of this equation.  Irrespective of what TV land thinks of our club and where we are at, we are still better visiting teams to have at the gate for clubs than most of the teams "crying" about the lack of friday night fixturing because we do have a big supporter base, who do go to games, particularly in places like Sydney, and WA. 

Our season opener is about 10 years old now, and shouldn't be mentioned in this conversation yet it is.

The media back winners. As I've said previously, go back to 2011, early 2012 and see how much negative press was written about us.

[Thryleon]

The media back winners. As I've said previously, go back to 2011, early 2012 and see how much negative press was written about us.

Absolutely not the case, and I cant believe you missed the fact that Garry Lyon of all people is boosting Melbourne for lack of Friday night football.

I didnt see them playing finals, nor do I see many of their supporters at the MCG during winter.

Finally, you didnt address the fact that one of our 4 friday night fixtures is to be determined as round 23 is not a certainty yet.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Spot on, Trigg was running us into the ground.

Good draw, Friday night games...lets give our mate Simon Lethlean a helping hand when he gets to Carlton....

[PaulP]

Absolutely not the case, and I cant believe you missed the fact that Garry Lyon of all people is boosting Melbourne for lack of Friday night football.

I didnt see them playing finals, nor do I see many of their supporters at the MCG during winter.

Finally, you didnt address the fact that one of our 4 friday night fixtures is to be determined as round 23 is not a certainty yet.

I have no idea why you think Lyon whinging about the Dees' fixture is even worth a comment.

[madbluboy]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ga...d71ddf07e8

  FORMER Melbourne skipper Garry Lyon is the latest to vent his anger over the bizarre scheduling confirmed yesterday when the AFL released the 2018 Fixture.

Carlton will play four Friday night games next season — the second most in the league. Grand finalists Adelaide and Richmond have five occasions to shine during primetime, as do the Sydney Swans.

Friday nights are normally blockbusters reserved for the best teams in the league, so gifting the Blues — who finished 16th in 2017 — four chances on the big stage is difficult for many to comprehend. That’s especially so when you consider four of the other bottom five teams from last year don’t feature in Friday night footy at all.

Lyon took a swipe at the AFL, saying Carlton supporters will be “embarrassed” their developing side will play under the AFL’s brightest regular season lights so often.

“If you’re a Carlton supporter, you’d be feeling a bit embarrassed about the fact that your side, on the back of a developing year, is going to appear on four of the marquee Friday night games, as well as the season opener,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.

“It is a staggering situation that has unfolded here. They averaged 10.5 goals last year the Blues, we all think they could potentially get there in maybe two-to-three years time. Only a few years ago they had six Friday night games and they lost by 69, 75, 77, 60, 30 and 138 points.

“They haven’t improved anywhere near enough to be on the big stage on four occasions. It is the massive blue out of this.

“I know it’s hard, I’m not suggesting for a second that it is easy. I know there are permutations and five-day breaks, six-day breaks and marquee games. I know all of that, but you’ve ended up with Carlton on Friday night footy on four occasions, and that isn’t right.” 
Hawthorn and Melbourne play one Friday night game each and Lyon said the mixed messaging coming out of AFL headquarters was a blight on the game. He rued the fact AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has been consistent in telling teams they need to earn the right to play Friday night footy, only to turn around and hand a struggling Blues outfit four marquee matches.

“The CEO of the AFL has consistently told us over the past two-to-three years you must earn the right to play on Friday night,” Lyon said.

“That has been his message and I agree with it. It has been strong. It means my side (Melbourne) hasn’t deserved to play on Friday night for however many years and you’ve got to accept that. You must earn the right.

“Then I heard him come out and say, potentially, they have a good coach and have shown potential Carlton, therefore they’re on Friday night four times.”

Adding to that hypocrisy was AFL general manager of clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld’s reflection on why Richmond was given three Thursday night games in addition to five Friday night clashes after having zero Friday games in 2017.

“We’ve seen it over the last few years where the teams that perform get put into the Thursday/Friday night slots and that changes from year to year,” Travis Auld said.

“So Richmond is the big beneficiary (this year).

“They weren’t exactly rapt when they got dropped off to zero this year ... but the best way to get back into those slots is to start winning.”

Carlton hasn’t been winning much recently, but still finds itself in the prized timeslot.

Auld admitted on Tuesday afternoon four Friday night clashes was too many for the Blues, but said extenuating circumstances had contributed to the scheduling.

“It’s probably one, potentially two, too many but they are early in the season,” he told SEN’s The Run Home.

“Carlton plays those Friday nights in and around the time Richmond, Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood are playing Anzac Day and Anzac Day eve, so those teams are unavailable for Friday night.

“Therefore it’s fallen Carlton’s way a few times during the period.

“I’m confident they’ll put in a good showing.”

Former St Kilda boss Brian Waldron on Tuesday said Carlton’s four-match gift was “extraordinary”.