Rules · Balance · Must-follow · the model’s own rule

Each club's own weekday range

internal:date.DATE-WEEKDAY-ENVELOPE

What it means

Each club's count of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday games stays within its own 2023 to 2026 range, widened a little.

Why it exists

So a club's fixture looks like its recent fixtures. It refuses exactly the counts the realism reportA comparison with recent AFL fixtures, checking each club’s weekdays, slots, home grounds and longest run without a home game.Read more in the glossary would flag as severe.

For example

If Essendon played between 8 and 12 Saturdays in 2023 to 2026, the model may give it up to 15 but not 18.

How strictly it applies

Must-follow The fixture must obey this rule. A separate checker tests the finished fixture afterwards.

Must-follow. The ranges are derived from the 2023 to 2026 fixtures, a modelled assumptionA value we chose because the AFL has not published the 2027 fact, or because a convention is only visible in past fixtures.Read more in the glossary; the flat caps above ACTAustralian Capital Territory.Read more in the glossary as outer limits. Checked from the 30 September release.

Where to see it

Teams played twice shows how this plays out across the season.

How it played out across versions

One cell per release, oldest first. Each shows the verdict that release recorded for this rule; a release with no row for the rule says so.

13 Sep13 Sep 2026Preview 13 September2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
13 Sep13 Sep 2026Preview 14 September (seed 42)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
14 Sep14 Sep 2026Repeat-qualified (seed 42)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
14 Sep14 Sep 2026Corrected (seed 43)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
14 Sep14 Sep 2026Rules release (seed 43)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
15 Sep15 Sep 2026B009 nominal (seed 43)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
18 Sep18 Sep 2026B010 nominal (weight 0.10)2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
19 Sep19 Sep 2026B011 nominal2027 · Generated
This version has no recorded result for this rule.
30 Sep30 Sep 2026B012 Wednesday opening2027 · Generated
Met, met
20252025 season as played2025 · As played
Off, switched off by these settings
rule source not recorded

First checked independently in Realism rules added, 30 Sep 2026.

For analysts: catalogue text and codes

Rule id: internal:date.DATE-WEEKDAY-ENVELOPE
Catalogue text: Each club's count of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday games stays within its own 2023 to 2026 range, widened by the realism report's severe tolerance.
Catalogue type: modelled rule (not a catalogue row)
Catalogue family: internal
Class: hard · The fixture must never break it.
Step: S2_5 · Step 3: dates
Recorded status: met · source row evaluated
Catalogue reason: Refuses exactly the weekday counts the realism report would flag as severe, so a club's fixture looks like its recent fixtures.