Six losers locked in to fixture

THE six teams set to receive the softest 2019 fixtures have effectively been locked in.

Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, Carlton, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Fremantle will all benefit from their miserable campaigns when the AFL releases next year’s fixture in October.

Those clubs will be rewarded under the AFL’s weighted fixture rule for filling the bottom six positions on the ladder.

They will all be safeguarded from facing more than one of this year’s top six teams twice next season.

They will also face either two or three fellow bottom-six teams twice in 2019.

Their set of five double-ups will be rounded out by facing either one or two of the middle six teams twice.

Under the current fixture format, which will again be used in 2019, clubs play five opponents twice and the remaining 12 teams once (22 games).

The AFL uses the weighted rule to determine the five double-ups, grouping clubs into brackets of six.

The top six teams will face two or three fellow top-six teams twice, one or two middle-six teams twice and a maximum of one bottom-six team twice.

The middle-six teams face one or two top-six teams twice, two or three fellow middle-six teams twice and one or two bottom-six teams twice.

And the bottom six face a maximum of one top-six team twice, one or two middle-six teams twice and two or three fellow bottom-six teams twice.

The ladder is determined after the finals, with the two elimination final losers falling into the middle bracket.

The six clubs still in premiership contention after the first week of finals are locked into the top bracket.

Collingwood and North Melbourne finished in the bottom six last year and have used their easier fixtures to soar into finals contention.

The 12-7 Magpies were drawn to play Fremantle, Carlton and Brisbane twice this year, and will complete their double-ups against the Lions and Dockers in the final three rounds.

The 11-8 Kangaroos were drawn to play Gold Coast, Brisbane, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs twice and, similarly, will complete their double-ups against the Dogs and Saints in the final three rounds.

The only possible change to this year’s bottom six would occur if Fremantle won its final three games, Adelaide lost its final three games and the Dockers also bridged a 20 per cent percentage gap.

That seems unrealistic based on both form and their remaining games.