[assohillA]

Ive gotta say, what a flat & fairly lifeless start to the season. And there are many reasons for it and they are all based around dumb planning.

The season starts way too early. Mid March is always as hot as an arabs arsecrack and playing in 35 degree heat is a joke. Crowds are not interested in baking like lobsters on outer banks that are as dry as the desert itself. The season MUST start after March (either early April or near it). Its a no brainer.

And having the year start with one game on Saturday & one on Sunday is pointless.... 5 teams sitting around twiddling their thumbs is a bad business move. Not to mention East Fremantle who dont play next weekend either !!

The WAFL can argue that the early start is to get one up on the AFL. I am sure that is their theory. However it defeats the purpose of it given their is buggerall publicity. And to get one up on the AFL is opposite to their attitude in September when they state the AFL should be the last game of the football season in Australia ?

Im sorry but it has got to be said. This opening weekend was a big fizzer & its all because of poor planning.

We must start the 2013 season in April with 4 games. For christs sake work it out fella's !!

Does anyone agree or disagree? ... The weekend should have had a footy feel. I felt nothing.

[Narkeere]

Yeah , look I agree - perfect opportunity to showcase a start to the new season of pigskin without much AFL getting in the way and I cannot understand why there was only 2 matches scheduled at all.
I don't like these 2 fixture rounds that have been formatted over the last couple of years at all - make it 4 full fixtures every week please , there's enough bye-work as it is ever since "that chaos down there" was introduced in 1997..... just my 2 cents.

[apannamma]

I think you are probably right on both counts Gasman. It was another bloody stinking hot weekend and I am over it. Was committed to play golf on Saturday and didn't really want to be out there (though the course was beautiful - Maylands) and yesterday again - too bloody hot for football. And i agree starting the season with just two matches is a poor way to start the season.

Should be 4 games to kick the WAFL season off and there is no way one club should have to wait til week 3 to get their season under way. EF should be playing next week and one of the 4 teams that played on the weekend should be having a bye next week.

[chujwduperjadzi]

They did the same thing last year too, 2 games only in the opening round.

Personally I dislike night games, but if your going to start a season in mid-March (always HOT), then utilise Leederville Oval and Fremantle Oval which both have lights.

I felt sorry for the players on Saturday (TV game) watching them stuffed by the heat 10 minutes into the first quarter. It must have sapped the life out of them and many players just looked flat. No suprise the standard looked average. What do you expect. And Sunday actually felt hotter than Saturday so I dont know how it looked for the supporters.

This Saturday is forcast for another 30 plus degree day too.

The 81 season started on April 11th and finished in early October... we need to revisit that.

[JRixlcvF]

Round one should have been scheduled for next weekend with 4 games, still be bloody hot but that one week later can make a big difference this time of year. And i don't understand why Tigers Demons game was on the sunday - pointless.
We all seem to agree that the grand final should be played the week after the afl grand final.

[oneliRafmeene]

agree with all said; what idiot thought gee lets have 2 games to start the season; this brain dead idiot then had a light bulb moment & thought lets start the season in summer. Remember our seasons are not the same as the northern hemisphere summer does not finish here until the end of march. Our game is a running game so lets remember this when fixturing for the start of the season the health of the players must be paramount. For those running WAFL even more brick bats get your act together and give the comp half a chance to be successful & build an audience. Start it in April at the very earilest with 4 games scheduled always for the first round. Another chance missed by the WAFL hierarchy.

Just on EF having successive byes Swans also only play 1 of the first 3 games another brillant fixturing effort by the WAFL. how hard can it be?

[Janny2006]

the health of the players must be paramount

unless it prevents an Eagles player from taking the field, then it is a distant 2nd..