As the saying goes, you dig your own grave.
St Kilda is learning that the hard way with the AFL delivering them a clear message through the 2027 fixture.
The schedule remains one of the league’s best weapons, punishing those who misbehave during the year where it hurts the most.
Saints president Andrew Bassat continually banging on about how unfair the academy and father-son rules are tends to annoy the rule makers down at Docklands.
Then, when you beat your chests after throwing the chequebook around last year to land big fish like Tom De Koning only to serve up another mediocre season, there are consequences.
The AFL is across everything, and the broadcasters don’t need to come armed with data on the best and worst rating teams each season when they sit down for their yearly fixture discussion.
Ross Lyon’s St Kilda was a turn-off this season, featuring in four of the five lowest-rating matches.
“Their performance on-field and their TV ratings performance has seen them miss out because they play defensive gross footy” was how one TV analyst described the Saints’ plight.
And with avid Saints fan Gillon McLachlan no longer in the big chair to protect them, the fixture boffins didn’t miss.
St Kilda has gone from four Thursday/Friday night games in 2026 to zero in 2027. They, and North Melbourne, are the only teams to not rate a mention in the prime time slots. Whack.
Elsewhere, the one club the AFL and its broadcasters will have their fingers and toes crossed about is Melbourne.
There is a whiff of Carlton from a couple of years back about the Demons if things don’t go according to plan.
They desperately don’t want Steven King to have any second-year blues or Max Gawn to go down injured as the Demons feature prominently under the bright lights midway through the year.
A Round 10 Thursday night clash against Fremantle at Optus Stadium is followed by Friday night in Geelong, a Thursday match-up against the Western Bulldogs and then King’s Birthday Monday against Collingwood.
There has also been a push away from just relying on the traditional Victorian big clubs to win over viewers.
The formula of needing one of the powerhouses like Richmond, Essendon, Carlton or Collingwood involved for Victorian viewers is gone with Channel 7 happy to back in two interstate teams who you know will play great games of footy.
Both clashes between grand finalists Fremantle and Brisbane are prime time on Seven: the first in Round 8 on a Sunday night and then Thursday night in Round 16.
Once upon a time you would never have wanted those matches coming into Melbourne, now they are proven ratings winners. The modern-day footy watching audience showed last year that they just want quality games.
No more overlapping games on Sundays is also a major win for Kayo Footy next year.
While they will again own Super Saturday, where the Pay-TV network has all the games, a smoother scheduling on Sunday with an increase in night games also ticks a lot of boxes.
Kayo gets some important Saturday night match-up event games with Zach Merrett coming up against Essendon in Round 3, Nick Blakey v Sydney in Round 8 and AFL games record holder Scott Pendlebury taking on the Pies in Round 15.
And Toby Greene’s return to western Sydney is on Kayo Footy on a Saturday afternoon in Round 7.
If you’re wondering about St Kilda’s big match-up game with Carlton which this season was a much-hyped blockbuster Saturday night showdown in Round 8, its slipped off Broadway for 2027.
De Koning and Jack Silvagni will take on their old side at 3.15pm on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter at Marvel Stadium in Round 15.
Ouuch.