2007 AFL DRAW RELEASED; CATS TO TRAVEL INTERSTATE FIVE TIMES; STILL NO WORD ON FOXTEL DEAL WITH SEVEN AND TEN
Ben Jensen 25 October 2006

By Ben Jensen THE AFL today belatedly released the draw for the 2007 AFL Premiership Season and the pre-season NAB Cup. The release had been delayed for weeks, waiting for the deadlock between pay TV operator Foxtel and free to air channels Seven and Ten to break. While the two camps remain at war, the AFL believes the draw, while based around channels Seven and Ten sharing all eight games, will accommodate Pay TV involvement should it eventuate. (See 'DEAL DONE FOR FOOTY ON FOXTEL?').

Geelong open their season against rivals the Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome in round two. While the Cats 'host' Carlton at the Dome the following week, it is not until round five, when the Cats host the Kangaroos, that Skilled Stadium hosts its first game of the season.

Geelong's Draw: 2007 GFC DRAW

Geelong will travel interstate five times, the first of which is the clash with Hawthorn at Launceston's Aurora Stadium. The Cats also play at Adelaide's AAMI Stadium twice in three rounds (nine and eleven), Subiaco once (round seventeen against Freo) and complete their home and away season at the GABBA verses the Brisbane Lions.

The Cats host Richmond at Skilled Stadium in their NAB Cup round one clash. The winner will play either Adelaide or Port Adelaide at Darwin's TIO Stadium (formerly Marrara Stadium).

Full Draw (Courtesy AFL)

NAB Cup Draw (Courtesy AFL)

Former City of Greater Geelong engineer and Geelong Chief Operation Officer and Acting CEO Stuart Fox said the draw could have been better but accepts the AFL had a difficult task. "It's a solid draw for us. There are some advantages but there are also some disadvantages so overall we are bit neutral about it", Fox said.

"We are pleased with the spread of our home games at Skilled Stadium and a home game against Collingwood at the MCG has great potential for us. But we do travel in the final round (to Brisbane) and we tried to get that changed but understand that it was our turn (to travel in the final round given Geelong has not done so since 1997)."