rizzo
Brownlow Medallist
- Sep 11, 2003
- 14,342
- 1,037
- AFL Club
- Geelong
- Other Teams
- Everton, Melbourne Heart, Raptors
GEELONG'S fixture wishlist has been ignored by the AFL despite the Cats' new-found clout as the competition's best team.
The reigning premiers will renew negotiations with the AFL after their requests for high drawing home matches and a minimum of nine games at Skilled Stadium were left out of a preliminary draft of the competition's 2008 draw.
Five interstate trips also confront the Cats in the draft fixture.
A home match against Collingwood, which this season attracted a crowd of 85,497 in Round 15, is also unlikely.
The Magpies appear set to take the cream from the blockbuster clash, which last season netted the Cats $770,820.
At this stage, it appears that the Cats will play their first home match in Melbourne in Round 2 and their first match at Skilled Stadium in Round 4.
The club could consider unfurling its premiership flag at both matches.
Cats CEO Brian Cook said the draw in its current form was not favourable but stressed that the AFL could revise its scheduling during the next week.
"That's the reality and we don't know whether fixtures will change or not because the AFL needs another week to go around all the clubs and usually there's two or three changes to the draft,'' Cook said.
"We're still negotiating but we haven't got a lot of what we wished for. We're in there trying to push a few things at the moment but in terms of what we exactly wanted, we haven't got that yet.''
Cook said the Cats' best chance of a home blockbuster appeared to rest with Essendon.
"(It's) not as good as I would have expected. I would have Collingwood and Essendon both as our home games (and) it doesn't look as though that will be the case. We're going to get one or the other as our home game,'' he said.
The AFL will release its official draw soon.
On ya Fonzie, 5 interstate matches without a home blockbuster.
Heck we can't even get 9 games at our own home ground.
Last time i checked we are the best team in the league, what we wanted was not extreme. Give us a ****n fair go.