Collingwood, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane are the big winners from the 2007 AFL fixture, released on Wednesday.This year's draw is much fairer overall to all teams than ever before because new fixturing software purchased by the AFL slashed the time taken to prepare the draw by two months and allowed the league much more flexibility in shaping the draw.The new software, which is also used by the NFL to prepare its schedule, gave the AFL hundreds of programming options, which it was able to fine-tune over the last few weeks.For the first time the league has enjoyed the luxury of using the ladder after round 22 – instead of round 15 - to determine which clubs play each other twice in a season and has also been able to eliminate longstanding fixturing 'blackspots' such as Victorian clubs having to play another game interstate the week after playing in Perth.The AFL chose to release the draw on Wednesday despite TV arrangements for next season not being finalised. Discussions between rights holders the Seven and Ten networks and Foxtel about the pay-TV operator broadcasting up to four matches each weekend are continuing.As a result, the league has spent the last few days tweaking the draw so that it serves all stakeholders irrespective of whether all eight matches are televised on free-to-air TV, or whether the five-three split of the last five years is maintained, or even if there is a new arrangement in which four matches per weekend are on pay-TV.If this is the case, then the 1.10pm Sunday afternoon game, previously televised live around Australia on free-to-air TV, would move to pay-TV.A major change to this year's draw is the introduction of Sunday twilight games every round. All clubs will play in these matches except for Sydney and Brisbane, with 10 to be played in Melbourne, nine in Perth and four in Adelaide. The Perth and Adelaide games will start at 4.45pm AEST, while the Melbourne matches will start at 5.10pm.Another feature is that the first seven rounds are no longer repeated in the last seven rounds.That means that some teams play each other twice in the space of eight or nine weeks - such as Melbourne and Collingwood, which meet twice next season for the first time since 1997 - while other teams play each other early in the season - such as arch-rivals Richmond and Carlton in round one - and then don't face each other again.Other highlights of the draw, which again sees matches take place in every state and territory, are:* The Grand Final re-match to come in the opening round next year with Sydney to host West Coast at Telstra Stadium, one of three games at the 2000 Olympic venue.* Melbourne and St Kilda to open the season on the Friday night of March 30 at the MCG.* Hawthorn to return to the big stage when it hosts Melbourne at the MCG in the only game on Easter Monday in round two.* Brisbane to host St Kilda on the Thursday night before Good Friday in round two.* The Kangaroos to play three home games at Carrara on the Gold Coast, the first being against Brisbane in round four followed by Carlton in round eight and Adelaide in round 12.* Geelong to travel to Tasmania for the first time to face Hawthorn in round four with the Hawks' other home games at Aurora Stadium coming against West Coast in round nine, the Kangaroos in round 17 and Port in round 20.* Anzac Day this year to be staged on a Wednesday with the Bombers and Magpies having just four days to prepare for the game, given both are scheduled to play on the previous Saturday.* The Bulldogs and Melbourne to host Sydney in Canberra in rounds nine and 18 respectively.* Jason Akermanis to face his old club Brisbane at the Gabba in round 11.* Fremantle to travel to Darwin for the first time to face the Bulldogs in the first half of the split round - round 12.* A five/three break-up of games during the split round with Sydney to again host Collingwood at Telstra Stadium in the second week.* A possible huge farewell game for Essendon champion James Hird, against Richmond at the MCG in round 21, with the Bombers to play interstate in the final round.* A total of 46 matches to be played at the MCG next year, an increase of seven on this year's total, while Telstra Dome will host 45 matches, down from 50 this year, now that the MCG is again available for the entire season following this year's early season disruption because of the Commonwealth Games.But it is how each club fared in the draw that is of most interest to fans of all persuasions and some will be much happier than others.The Magpies will certainly have no excuse not to make the finals considering they play 18 of their 22 matches in Victoria and travel to Adelaide and Perth just once each, with 15 of their matches to be played at the MCG - by far the most of any club.Adelaide will also be confident of bettering its preliminary final finish of the past two years considering it only plays one of the other top four from last year - Fremantle - twice, and only has one trip to Perth while Sydney and Brisbane both effectively have 13 home games.The Swans get 11 games in Sydney per usual but also two "away" games in Canberra against Melbourne and the Bulldogs, which are certain to be played in front of pro-Swans crowds, while they also travel to Perth and Adelaide only once each.Brisbane has a similar fixture with 11 home games at the Gabba plus being the "away" side for Melbourne's annual "home" game against the Lions in Brisbane - an arrangement which ends this year - while they also face the Kangaroos at the Gold Coast and like the Swans only have to travel to Perth and Adelaide once each.The Cats, Bulldogs and Saints have slightly harder draws but all have reason to be happy with Geelong playing seven of its first eight games in Victoria while the Saints have nine of their last of their last 10 games in Victoria and the Bulldogs have six in a row at Telstra Dome at a crucial stage of the season - rounds 14 to 19.Meanwhile, after years of being accused by rival fans of always getting an easy draw, Essendon has a horror 2007 fixture.Essendon not only plays three of last year's top four twice but goes to Perth and Adelaide twice each while its once-only clash with Sydney is at the SCG.And the Bombers both start and end the season interstate, although it should be noted that their round 22 fixture against West Coast in Perth is the first time since 1985 they have played their last round match outside of Victoria.The Dockers' bid to improve on their best ever showing in 2006 will not be easy with a draw that has them playing four of last year's top eight twice, as well as likely big improvers Port, while they go to Adelaide twice and to Darwin for the first time - as well as to Geelong, Sydney and Brisbane, with the only bonus being they have avoided a trip to Tasmania for the first time since 2001.Richmond has a good start to the year with its first six games in Melbourne but then it's all downhill from there.Not only do the Tigers face back-to-back trips to Adelaide in round seven and eight but they also go to Perth twice and Geelong and they are one of the few teams to meet both of last year's grand finalists in Sydney and West Coast twice while the Roos have just 14 games in Melbourne and still have to face the Lions at the Gabba, even though they play them in a "home" game at the Gold Coast earlier in the season, while they also have to go to Perth twice and face the Hawks in Tasmania.