Essendon request Friday night blockbuster to welcome back suspended superstars
ESSENDON wants to mark the historic return of its suspended superstars with a Round 1, Friday night blockbuster in front of a packed MCG next season.
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ESSENDON wants to mark the historic return of its suspended superstars with a Round 1, Friday night blockbuster in front of a packed MCG next season.
The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the Bombers put the request in writing to the AFL this month and suggested Melbourne as its opponent.
That match-up could pit Demons recruit Jake Melksham and trade target Michael Hibberd against their former teammates in a ratings bonanza for Channel 7.
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Essendon will invite supporters to march to the MCG from Federation Square as one before they welcome back heroes including likely captain Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker and David Myers.
The timeslot is up for grabs given Easter will likely fall in Round 4 and the annual Carlton-Richmond clash is set to launch the season on Thursday night.
The Bombers have hosted just two Round 1 matches since 2000, the fewest in the AFL, and have started interstate seven times.
“It’s been a long time since Essendon have played a home game consistently in Round 1,” chief executive Xavier Campbell told the Herald Sun.
“We always seem to play an away game, or a game at Etihad Stadium in a secondary timeslot.
“Above and beyond the normal blockbuster requests, we’ve put a request in for Friday night, Round 1.”
“We have flagged Melbourne, because obviously a lot of our games are already locked away.”
The Bombers have annual MCG games against Collingwood (Anzac Day), Richmond (Dreamtime) and Geelong (Country Game) set in the fixture.
In Round 2 about 15,000 fans marched with Kevin Sheedy, past players and board members before the Dons celebrated a shock win against the Demons.
Campbell said the Bombers want to make that a tradition ahead of the club’s first home game every year.
“This request is as much about looking to create a new tradition with our fans meeting at Federation Square and walking together as one to our first home match of every season,” Campbell said
The Bombers believe their 2017 fixture should not be compromised because of their ladder slide triggered by the WADA wipeout.
Carlton was frozen out of Friday nights this year after it collected the wooden spoon.
The Bombers drew just 14,463 in Round 13 — the club’s smallest since a 1991 game at Windy Hill.
But Campbell said “everyone would acknowledge” the Bombers were a special case this season.
After a Friday night stinker this year, coach John Worsfold said Channel 7 would be the loser if the AFL banished Essendon from prime time.
Fixture submissions for all clubs were due a fortnight ago, but can be rejected.
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Last year the league denied a joint submission from Western Bulldogs and Collingwood to lock a Round 1 MCG clash into the fixture each season.
Campbell said rewarding the club’s loyal fan base with a bumper game to kick off 2017 was a “really important consideration”.
Former captain Jobe Watson will decide his future in coming weeks but indications are he will play on.
SEASON STARTERS - Essendon’s recent Round 1 fixtures
Originally published as Essendon request Friday night blockbuster to welcome back suspended superstars
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