AFL locks in Round 23 with potentially seven clashes with live finals hopes

The AFL hopes seven of its nine Round 23 clashes will still have finals ramifications after releasing its floating fixture. Find out when your club plays in the final round.

Dustin Martin and the Tigers will take on Brisbane in a potential top four blockbuster. Pictures: AAP

The AFL believes seven of its nine Round 23 clashes could have finals ramifications after handing Collingwood and Essendon the marquee Friday night clash.

The league yesterday locked in its Round 23 floating fixture with three massive clashes spread out across the weekend.

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The Pies and Essendon could draw more than 80,000 fans to the MCG as both sides push for a potential home final that would come with sixth spot on the ladder.

On Saturday night West Coast will be hosting Hawthorn at Optus Stadium, potentially pushing for top spot on the ladder as the reigning premiers march home with a strong vein of form.

Dustin Martin and the Tigers will take on Brisbane in a potential top four blockbuster. Pictures: AAP

Richmond’s MCG clash against Brisbane will be the second-last game of the home-and-away season, with Seven handed that huge clash in its 3.20pm free-to-air slot.

The Tigers and Lions will likely be pushing for a home final given their ladder positions, or even potentially trying to win to avoid an away final against West Coast.

Only the North Melbourne-Melbourne clash at Blundstone Arena and St Kilda-Sydney game at the SCG, both on Saturday afternoon, are unlikely to have finals ramifications.

St Kilda still has a mathematical chance at finals given eight wins and a modest percentage but would have to win out under new interim coach Brett Ratten.

Richmond could not play on the Friday night of Round 23 despite Brisbane’s lobbying because it played on the Sunday of Round 22.

Traditional rivals Essendon and Collingwood will square off in a Friday night blockbuster. Picture: Michael Klein

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But with such an even split of Victorian and non-Victorian sides vying for finals, the ramifications of those Round 23 games could be significant.

Last year West Coast won a home final and after a second-half surge to beat Collingwood by 16 points in the qualifying final spanked Melbourne in the preliminary final by 66 points to advance to the Grand Final.

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For Geelong to secure a home final at GMHBA Stadium its only chance would be a 1 v 4 clash against GWS.

But the Giants would have to leapfrog over Richmond, and even then the league looks reluctant to move away from the MCG in September.

If Geelong hosted Brisbane in a qualifying final the league might cite the crowd of 55,768 at the MCG in the 2004 preliminary final to show why the game should be played in Melbourne.

Round 23 Fixture

Date	Match	Ground	Time (AEST)
Friday, August 23	Collingwood v Essendon	MCG	7.50pm
Saturday, August 24	Sydney v St Kilda	SCG	1.45pm
	North Melbourne v Melbourne	Hobart	2.10pm
	Geelong v Carlton	GMHBA Stadium	4.35pm
	Gold Coast v GWS Giants	Metricon Stadium	7.25pm
	West Coast v Hawthorn	Perth Stadium	8.10pm
Sunday, August 25	Western Bulldogs v Adelaide	Mars Stadium (Ballarat)	1.10pm
	Richmond v Brisbane	MCG	3.20pm
	Port Adelaide v Fremantle	Adelaide Oval	4.40pm

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Originally published as AFL locks in Round 23 with potentially seven clashes with live finals hopes