The 2016-17 A-League fixture list dropped on Thursday morning, but how did your team fare?
ANZ Stadium Sydney Derby headlines A-League season 2016-17 opening day
Download the 2016-17 A-League draw HERE
Adelaide United
The reigning champions faired brilliantly. Fans would have been ecstatic to learn all of United’s home matches will be played at Hindmarsh Stadium, with Adelaide Oval scrapped from the home and away draw. Better still for the Reds is that they will host fierce rivals Melbourne Victory twice at home, for the first time in round three. Their start to the new campaign appears favourable too, pitted against Newcastle Jets away in round one followed by two blockbuster home fixtures against Western Sydney Wanderers and Victory. Two home matches each against Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory is an added bonus.
Grade: Excellent
Brisbane Roar
The Queenslanders have again been handed the honour of opening the A-League season, only add home on this occasion. A mouthwatering clash against Melbourne Victory on Friday 8 October promises to kick off the season in perfect style in a rivalry that is growing year after year. Brisbane have been handed Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers twice at home, and will be helped by dual home matches against Wellington. However, they face difficult away assignments against Adelaide United and Perth Glory.
Grade: Good
Central Coast Mariners
Last season’s cellar dwellers have been handed quite possibly the hardest start of any club, tasked with a visit to the increasingly daunting Perth Glory on matchday one. To make matters worse for the Mariners, they must back up the trip west with another away day against Sydney FC, followed by a first home fixture in matchday three against semi-finalists Brisbane Roar. And to follow? Away games against 2015-16’s two grand finalists. Elsewhere, Tony Walmsley side will play two home games in Canberra against Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix at GIO Stadium. But if last season’s form is anything to go by, Central Coast’s fate for another season could be sealed very early in the season. Not the fixture list Mariners fans wanted to see.
Grade: Unfavourable
Melbourne City
City face a tricky road trip to Wellington on the opening day before returning to Melbourne for 2016-17’s maiden derby at Etihad Stadium. Fans can look forward to their regular pre-Christmas derby, set for 17 December, though two of the three showpiece matches against their navy neighbours are away. Duets of home matches against holders Adelaide and Perth Glory will play into the hands of John van’t Schip and his side, but could face difficulties closing out the season against the same opponents.
Grade: Good
Melbourne Victory
Kevin Muscat’s men will make the trip back to Brisbane on matchday one, the scene of their incredible late collapse in last season’s elimination final. Following round two’s derby, Melbourne will return to Coopers Stadium for what promises to be a tough, spiteful showdown against cross-border rivals and Adelaide. Victory will miss out on two home games against Sydney FC and the Reds, but will happy to claim hosting rights to two Melbourne derbies as well as Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix and serial bogey side Newcastle Jets, one of which will be played down the highway in Geelong.
Grade: Good
Newcastle Jets
The Jets have a great opportunity to to make the most of a relatively travel-free start to the season, with three of their first four games at Hunter Stadium. The club would be pleased to be hosting F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners twice as well as Sydney FC and Adelaide United. Less of a thrill would four total away trips to Perth and New Zealand, while Brisbane will visit the Hunter twice, a stadium the Roar always seems to take something away from. Newcastle will play in a number of “alternate” venues in the upcoming season, including Campbelltown (vs Western Sydney Wanderers), Geelong (vs Melbourne Victory) and Coffs Harbour (vs Melbourne City).
Grade: Unfavourable
Perth Glory
Perth have been handed the most ideal start to the season possible: a home match against Central Coast Mariners followed by another fixture at nib Stadium in round two versus Wellington Phoenix. The Glory would have been delighted to learn they will welcome Wellington and Newcastle twice, the latter of which being virtually a guaranteed six points; the Jets have not tasted victory in Perth since the competition’s first instalment.
Grade: Great
Sydney FC
The Sky Blues are faced with a difficult-looking start to the season and fixture list in general, handed away trips to Wellington as well as an opening day Sydney Derby at ANZ Stadium. They will have to travel a total of four times to Wellington as well as Perth, yet Sydney can take a great deal of solace from two home games against Central Coast, Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United.
Grade: Good
Western Sydney Wanderers
With Parramatta Stadium undergoing redevelopment, the Wanderers have bee forced to move into temporary homes at Spotless Stadium and ANZ Stadium as well as the one-off Campbelltown Stadium. Eight matches will be played at Spotless, five at ANZ and one in Campbelltown, against Newcastle Jets. Disappointingly for Western Sydney, they will have to travel twice for grand final rematches and two times each to New Zealand and Perth; interestingly, neither of those matches across the Tasman will be played in Wellington. They have however been handed two home marquee fixtures each against Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.
Grade: Good
Wellington Phoenix
As we are fast becoming used to, the Nix will once again take a series of home matches away from Westpac Stadium to other parts of New Zealand – four to be precise. They will visit Auckland twice (Western Sydney Wanderers and Perth Glory), Hamilton once (Central Coast Mariners) and New Plymouth (Western Sydney Wanderers). But Wellington’s outlook is not a promising one. They will begin with a challenging start to the season against Melbourne City before making the longest road trip in domestic football to Perth – one which will have to be made twice. On top of that, Ernie Merrick’s side will have to travel to Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar twice, compounding a tough assignment.
Grade: Unfavourable
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