Richmond has been scheduled five blockbuster MCG home games against traditional Victorian rivals in the 2016 AFL fixture, which was released today.
The Tigers will host Carlton in the season-opener, reigning premier Hawthorn (Round 7), Essendon (Round 17), Collingwood (Round 20) and Geelong (Round 21).
See Richmond's full 2016 fixture
That’s a key component of another MCG-friendly fixture for Richmond, with the Tigers set to feature in 14 home-and-away matches all-up at the home of AFL football in season 2016.
Following the opening round battle with the Blues on Thursday, March 24 (the eve of Good Friday), Richmond encounters Collingwood in a Friday night away game at the MCG in Round 2, and then plays its only home game for the season at Etihad Stadium in Round 3, on Saturday afternoon against Adelaide.
In Round 4, the Tigers travel to Perth for a Friday night clash with 2015 runner-up West Coast at Domain Stadium.
And, nine days after that, they will play Melbourne for the second successive year in a special ANZAC Day eve match, to be held on the Sunday night of April 24 at the MCG.
Richmond has been allocated six interstate trips in the 2016 season – to Perth (twice), Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney and Canberra.
The Tigers will play their first-ever home-and-away match in the ACT, taking on Greater Western Sydney at StarTrack Oval in Round 19.
Richmond’s now-traditional ‘Dreamtime at the G’ clash with Essendon is in Round 10 on Saturday, May 28.
Richmond 2016 fixture analysis
The Tigers’ only bye of the season will be in Round 13, and their final home-and-away game is against Sydney at the SCG, with a date and time to be determined later next year by the AFL.
It’s another Friday-night strong fixture for Richmond, with the Tigers featuring six times in the competition’s prime-time slot, which is the equal most of any league club throughout 2016. Two of those Friday night games are home blockbusters (v Hawthorn in Round 7 and v Collingwood in Round 20).
Richmond will appear on free-to-air television, via the Seven Network on 16 occasions, the same amount as this year, with five other games on Fox Footy, and Round 23 coverage still to be confirmed.
