Richmond will kick off its 2012 NAB Cup campaign with round-robin matches against Hawthorn and North Melbourne.
In the NAB Cup draw released by the AFL today (Wednesday, October 26), the Tigers will play the Hawks and Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium on Friday, February 17 in games over two 20-minute halves, from 6.45pm.
To download or view the full schedule, click here
As part of the revamped competition, the NAB Regional Challenge disappears and the matches over the following fortnight - to be staged at both regular AFL venues and select regional centres - will also count in the NAB Cup standings. But, unlike the opening round-robin matches, all games in the second and third rounds will be full-scale, four-quarter affairs.
Richmond will travel to Patersons Stadium in Perth on Sunday, March 4 to take on Fremantle in Round 2 of the NAB Cup at 5.10pm.
Then, on Saturday, March 10, the Tigers meet Geelong at Simonds Stadium (Kardinia Park) at 3.10pm.
All matches will count equally, with four points for a win and percentage also being taken into account. The two best-performed teams over the three rounds (two shortened and two full games) will play off in the NAB Cup grand final on Saturday, March 17.
The 16 clubs who don’t make the grand final, will play one last NAB Cup match at various metropolitan venues across Australia on the weekend of March 16-18, a fortnight before most clubs start their 2012 home-and-away seasons.
All first round NAB Cup matches will be televised exclusively live by Fox Sports, while 11 matches over the following two weeks will be also shown exclusively on Fox Sports. The grand final will be shown live on Seven and Fox Sports, as part of the AFL’s new broadcasting agreement. In addition, one match per round will be broadcast on Telstra T-Box services, while all matches shown by Fox Sports will be broadcast on Telstra mobile.
AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said the new format allowed clubs to be more advanced with their planning for next season as they know several months in advance - rather than a few days as had been the case in recent years - what their pre-season travel arrangements will be.
“Clubs can fully plan their preparation and training workload as they build up to the start of the premiership season. In rounds two and three, we will mix matches across both regional venues and our major AFL venues, so that we continue to promote our game into areas that don't normally host AFL football,” McLachlan said.
“The introduction of our shortened games for the 2011 NAB Cup was a great success, with strong attendances for the three matches at each of our six venues, coupled with above-average viewer numbers across television.
"The shortened format enables clubs to use their senior players as they see fit for the opening to the season, as well as offering the flexibility to provide opportunities for new players and rookies that is such a key feature of the NAB Cup.”
