Ok another question regarding the fixture. Next week Hawthorn host West Coast at Etihad rather than at the MCG. Why is that? I thought there home ground in Melbourne was the MCG with 5 games in Tasmania.
Probably its the AFLâs decision to push Hawthorn to play home games at Etihad Stadium.
Hawks played Home Games at Etihad
2 vs Collingwood, Geelong (2006)
1 vs Adelaide (EF) - 2007
1 vs West Coast - 2013
1 vs POrt Adelaide - 2015
1 v Western Bulldogs - 2017
1 v West Coast - 2018
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I hate it. AFL seem to give most, if not all the MCG sides a home game or two at the Docklands. I guess itâs to allow for Essendon and Carlton to play their bigger games (Anzac Day for example) at the MCG despite being Docklands based sides.
Hawthorn played the Bulldogs, who are a Docklands side, there last year as their home game. Ridiculous really.
To me it just seems like another way to disadvantage interstate teams. I find it extremely frustrating that the AFL pit all odds against the interstate team.
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Completely agree with that. Thereâs 90 H&A games between the 2 grounds. Each team should be playing 5 away games with 2 or 3 at each venue. Would be much fairer, but what would I know!?
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I am glad I am not the only one that is confused by it all. I donât know about the schedule of all interstate teams. But I do know that one year West Coast played at the MCG once. Port Adelaide this year play 6 Victorian teams as an away team. Yet they only play at the MCG twice. They have to travel to Tasmania and Ballarat rather than getting to play any of those two teams at the MCG. It makes it very hard for interstate teams to go deep into the finals and potentially win it when they donât get a chance to play on the ground where they will have to play if they want to win the Grand Final.
All ovals are different to the MCG. Adelaide isnât as wide as the MCG. The SCG is a lot smaller. The two grounds that are similar seems to be Optus and the Gabba.
Iâm not confused per se, just annoyed at the inequality of it all. I believe the existing rule is at least 1 game at both of the MCG and Docklands.
As for the Port in Tassie bit, Iâm fine with that. Think they were last here in 2013 (NM at Bellerive). Does annoy me that Bri/GCS seem to play here every year but neither have played in Hobart. Itâs lazy fixturing, might be my pet hate (Iâd love to have a crack at it for them, would look vastly different). Ridiculous that PP play in both Ballarat and Tassie this year (should be one only), yet other sides get none of the âboutiqueâ grounds.
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The theory seems to be that the interstate teams donât draw as big a crowd when playing in Melbourne (compared to 2 Melbourne teams playing each other) so they generally play at Etihad where there wonât be as many empty seats.
20,000 at Etihad looks much better on TV than 20,000 at the MCG.
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That is what I am getting at. Fair enough playing in Tassie but then they shouldnât play in Ballarat.
Fully understand that. But why is that to the disadvantage of the interstate team? Its not their fault that the home team cannot draw large crowds. Port Adelaide and Adelaide can get 40,000+ to most games every year.
Shouldnât be about the crowd anyway it should be about fairness to all sides. I donât think Richmond would have won last years Grand Final if it had been played in say Adelaide. Look at it. Adelaide played 2 games at the MCG last year as did Richmond did at the Adelaide Oval.
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Canât believe my Hawks just lost to the Lions, just shocking. Full credit to Brisbane though, they were brilliant
I think Brisbane are better than you are giving them credit for. Yes they had a few shockers but they have come very close to winning games, especially at the Gabba. They played well today. The Hawks just seemed off. Some shocking umpiring calls though in that game. How that goal was called a point to begin with is beyond me.
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Brisbane have been far from the worst team this season despite being last coming into this round.
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Brisbane have beaten the Hawthorn team by 56 points. It was the first time in the 2010s that they have beaten the Hawks.
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West Coast on top of the ladder after a 47-point mauling over Richmond in front of a record 57,616 people at Optus Stadium. This has surpassed the Western derby crowd that was set 3 weekâs ago. It was the highest crowd in a round
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Was there at Optus. Amazing atmosphere. Such a good game for my mighty west coast 
so much for the people who thought we would be wooden spooners this year (and yes, i know its still fairly early daysâŚ)
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Wow really? 
yeah we were picked as bottom of the ladder. And while I know we arent anywhere near finals yet, Weâd have to completely fall apart to sink to the bottom of the ladder.
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I never would have thought bottom. But i didnât pick west coast to finish anywhere near the 8 and they will definitely feature in September.
Seriously, who thought that? WC played finals last year, including the thrilling extra time win against Port.
