2012 fixture balance

Rohan Connolly’s analysis of the 2012 fixture, in The Age today, is a thing of beauty!

 

Covering all of the important elements that, all other things being equal, make games more or less likely to be advantageous, Connolly shows that the Barcodes have one of the hardest assignments next year. And why not? Two Grand Finals in two years (well, three, strictly speaking, but you know what we mean) should mean that they are best positioned to meet the challenges — unlike the immature Essendon team of a couple of years ago that was saddled with a similarly challenging task.

 

Forget about any bleating by those success-starved, long-suffering Barcodes supporters looking for ‘fair’ treatment in the fixture. In ANY other aspect of football, these people aggressively celebrate their club’s strength.

 

Based on Connolly’s analysis, it’s Melbourne and North Melbourne fans who can feel most pleased with their situation, and Port and Brisbane fans who might feel most aggrieved.

 

All in all, given the necessities for so-called blockbuster games and complexities of venue availability and broadcast requirements, this fixture has a lot more of the silk purse feel than might be expected.