VFL Fixture.

[Presti35]

Does anyone know when the new fixture will be released?

[Presti35]

The fixture will be on the VFL web site mid-December.

[Dave The Man]

[Presti35]

Haha! Yeah DTM!

Thanks for joining myself in conversation.

[Presti35]

The fixture is finally out!!

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-118-0-0-0&sID=60264&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=14255692&sectionID=60264

[Presti35]

Round 1
Sunday 3rd April
Frankston vs. Collingwood Frankston Oval 2:00 PM

Round 2
Saturday 9th April
Northern Bullants vs. Collingwood Visy Park 2:00 PM

Round 3
Saturday 16th April
Collingwood vs. Werribee Tigers Victoria Park 1:10 PM

Round 4
Saturday 23rd April
Bendigo Bombers vs. Collingwood Windy Hill 2:00 PM

Round 5
Saturday 30th April
Collingwood vs. North Ballarat Victoria Park 2:00 PM

Round 6
BYE

Round 7
Saturday 14th May
Collingwood vs. Geelong Victoria Park 1:00 PM

Round 8
Saturday 21st May
Collingwood vs. Williamstown Victoria Park 2:00 PM

Round 9
Saturday 28th May
Coburg Tigers vs. Collingwood Coburg City Oval 1:10 PM

Round 10
Saturday 4th June
Collingwood vs. Northern Bullants Victoria Park 2:00 PM

Round 11
Saturday 11th June
Casey Scorpions vs. Collingwood Casey Fields 1:10 PM

Round 12
BYE

Round 13
Sunday 26th June
Sandringham vs. Collingwood Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM

Round 14
Saturday 2nd July
Box Hill Hawks vs. Collingwood Box Hill City Oval 1:10 PM

Round 15
Saturday 9th July
Collingwood vs. Port Melbourne Victoria Park 2:00 PM

Round 16
Sunday 17th July
Williamstown vs. Collingwood Norm Minns Oval 1:30 PM

Round 17
BYE

Round 18
Saturday 30th July
Collingwood vs. Frankston Victoria Park 2:00 PM

Round 19
Saturday 6th August
Geelong vs. Collingwood* Skilled Stadium 10:40 AM

Round 20
Saturday 13th August
Collingwood vs. Bendigo Bombers Victoria Park 1:00 PM

Round 21
Saturday 20th August
Collingwood vs. Sandringham Victoria Park 1:00 PM

Round 22 Venue Time
BYE

[MagpieBat]

(After taking a quick perusal and comparing it to the AFL fixture...)

(Long post)

The good news is: we have nine home games at Victoria Park, same as this year. We also have four nominally scheduled TV games (although as this season proved, the ABC can and does switch games on a whim). And also, we have no clashes between AFL and VFL games! No longer will the diehard Collingwood supporter have to choose between dances when the time comes! We can go to each of them! (Although, that match in Round 19 against Geelong at Kardinia Park may make it a little difficult for Pies fans to get to the AFL match against the Power at Football Park).

The bad news is: we have four byes, TWO of which are scheduled to take place during the same week as our two AFL byes. Leave it to the VFL to squander a perfect opportunity to cash in on a one-off opportunity to draw to their games some Collingwood fans in desperate need of their weekly footy fix...

We also don't play our first VFL home game until Round 3. Additionally, only ONE of our four TV games will be at Victoria Park (Werribee Tigers game in Round 3).

But what REALLY sucks the big one is that, for FOUR rounds from Round 11 to Round 15, we will have NO home games at Victoria Park.

I mean, seriously, WTF?! Playing home games at Victoria Park is what got me into seeing our VFL side play. I appreciate the difficulties of scheduling, but is this seriously the best that they can do, a four week gap?! Maybe die4pies can shed some light on this. His work to help preserve Victoria Park for future generations to enjoy the way it was meant to be, by the way, is deeply impressive (just wanted to add that in).

Oh, and we don't get the opportunity to give Mad Kevin Sheedy's star recruit a tradional welcome to the big time with a bump behind play at Victoria Park, as GW$ will be playing in this new competition for northern Australia in 2011, unlike the Gold Coast who played in the VFL this year. I was knid of looking forward to that...

Based on our form this year, I can easily see Collingwood with as many as 8 wins out of 18 games, the bulk of them off of the back of lower order teams such as Sandringham, Geelong and Frankston. I can also see, under optimistic circumstances, us beating Box Hill and Casey at their home grounds (both of which we did this year, though we dropped the re-matches at Victoria Park towards the end of the season). That would equate with 10 wins out of 18 games, enough (on paper) to qualify for the finals. After that, though, things get a little bit tougher.

We face each of Williamstown, Preston (Northern Bullants) and Bendigo twice, all three of whom we lost to in each game we played against them. We also play once against triple premiers North Ballarat and VFL powerhouse Port Melbourne, a repeat of this year's draw (we lost to both this year).

It is (relatively) easy to win enough games to get into the finals. But as this year's heartbreaking first-week bowout to Preston showed, the real question for Collingwood in the VFL is whether we can win games against finals contenders like Preston, Williamstown, Bendigo and Port Melbourne to prove ourselves as serious contenders for the flag in 2011. Good luck to Tarkyn Lockyer and the boys. I'll be there cheering for you!

My conclusion, in short, is that this draw sucks. The VFL have missed a golden opportunity to tap into Collingwood's sheer volume of AFL supporters by scheduling home games at Victoria Park during AFL byes (instead, both weeks there will be no Collingwood football being played on EITHER level). And worse, FOUR weeks without Victoria Park during the mid-season. Forget solitary, THIS is real torture!

And also, where the hell is Norm Minns Oval?

[Fire Up]

we will beat preston next year.

they have a new coach for 2011. teague left them and joined west coast eagles.

[MagpieBat]

Be nice to beat Preston, the de facto Carlton reserves. Especially at their 'home away from home', Princes Park. Shame, I was kind of looking forward to a trip out to Cramer Street...

[Fire Up]

the cramer st oval has gone to the "dust bowl". there is no grass on it during winter. there is only grass during summer.

i use to barrack for the old preston (only because i use to live near the ground) before they alligned with the scum and at 1 stage there was talk of collingwood being with the bullants

[Presti35]

^^ Not to mention the Ray Shaw connection!

[watt price tully]

^ Let alone the Big Bob Heard connection!

[Fire Up]

[Presti35]

Now I know how much it sucks that they are aligned with Carlton.

[The Collingwood Turtle]