AFLW Finals 2023: Week one fixture confirmed

It went down to the very last minutes of the minor round but the first week of the AFLW finals is locked in – and the Bombers will make their maiden appearance. See the full fixture.

Essendon’s first ever AFLW finals appearance will take place in Geelong, after a late Fremantle point denied Sydney from taking seventh spot.

In just their second season in the competition, the Bombers will play finals after Richmond thrashed Collingwood on Sunday.

The Bombers had a nervous wait after going down to Gold Coast on Friday, with the risk they would fall out of the eight on percentage.

But they will now take on the Cats at GMHBA Stadium in an elimination final on Sunday.

They were set to play the Suns again, with Sydney’s strong final quarter against Fremantle having the Swans seventh going into the final seconds at Fremantle Oval.

But a late Dockers behind resulted in the Swans, who kicked St Kilda out of finals with the win, going back to eighth with the narrowest of percentage separating them and the Bombers.

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Essendon will play Geelong in its first ever AFLW final. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Like the Bombers, Sydney has also made the finals for the first time – also in its second year in the competition.

After not winning a game last season, the Swans will now take on the Suns in a elimination final at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday night.

Adelaide will be rewarded for winning the minor premiership by hosting a qualifying final against Brisbane, at Norwood Oval on Saturday.

It also puts the Crows in the box seat to host the grand final, but Adelaide AFLW coach Matthew Clarke said he wasn’t thinking about that all after his side ended its season with a win over West Coast.

“It’s so far in the future it is not really worth worrying about I think,” he said.

“If we are good enough and lucky enough to make a grand final, we will play in Timbuktu.

“We are really happy that we are going to play two games in front of our fans this finals series, but this finals series is going to be hot it is going to be contested.

“The standard across the competition has risen dramatically … we will have to find another gear to be among the top teams.”

Melbourne will host North Melbourne in the other qualifying final on Sunday at Ikon Park.

Adelaide will host Brisbane in a qualifying final on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

AFL Head of Broadcasting Operations and Scheduling, Josh Bowler said there was no Friday night game in an effort to maximise crowds as well as giving teams enough of a break between games.

“We have scheduled all games on a Saturday and Sunday to maximise crowds and viewership as well as ensure we are aligning the days breaks leading into week two of the finals,” he said.

The AFL will freeze tickets for adults for weeks one to three of the finals series, while kids will go free for the entire finals period.

AFL executive general manager customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said she was pleased ticket prices would once again be frozen for fans.

“We are committed to keeping footy affordable and want to thank our members and supporters for their attendance this season by freezing the prices for finals again this year,” she said.

“The atmosphere at our AFLW matches this season has been fantastic and we have an exciting finals series ahead, so $10 a ticket offers great value for money.

“The AFLW Grand Final is going to be a spectacular day out for fans and is the pinnacle match on the AFLW calendar therefore we have seen a slight price increase for adult tickets but with kids still able to attend for free, it’s still very affordable for families.”

The ticket prices for weeks one to three will remain the same as the 2023 home and away season and the previous three finals series – frozen at $10 for adults and concessions, while under 18s can attend for free.

Grand Final tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for concessions, while access for juniors remains free.

Juniors will require a ticket for all games of the finals series and must be redeemed in advance of the match.

Tickets will go on sale on Monday at 2.00pm for Club members and 4.00pm for general public venue local time.

Originally published as AFLW Finals 2023: Week one fixture confirmed