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AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia, June 15, 2018
THE AFL has three possible match-ups for the final Friday night fixture but the early forecast of Round 23 is an anti-climatic finish to the home-and-away season. RECAP ALL THE DAY’S NEWS
HAWTHORN is favoured to receive just its second Friday night game for the season in Round 23 when it travels to the SCG to continue its fierce rivalry with Sydney.
The AFL will choose out of three possible match-ups for the final Friday night fixture of the season — Swans-Hawks, Port Adelaide-Essendon (Adelaide Oval) or Fremantle-Collingwood (Perth Stadium). The Swans would prefer to host the Hawks on Saturday afternoon but could be forced onto the Friday night stage as the standout clash of the round. GRAND FINAL PAIN: FYFE REVEALS HE NEARLY QUIT FOOTY MATTHEW LLOYD: SUNS NEED LYNCH TO GIVE HIS ALL STEPPING DOWN: SAINTS PART WAYS WITH LIST BOSS The Hawks could be playing for a place in the finals while the Swans could be shooting for top four. The early forecast of Round 23 is an anti-climatic finish to the home-and-away season. There is a chance the top nine teams could play the bottom nine teams and that would likely lead to several blowouts as aspiring finalists chase valuable percentage points. Five of the Round 23 matches cannot be played on the Friday night because they feature teams which played on the previous Sunday. The AFL gives clubs a minimum of six days between matches, outside of the annual Anzac Day and Anzac eve blockbusters. If the Swans are locked into the Round 23 Friday night fixture they would have to play off consecutive six-day breaks. While the AFL concedes that is not ideal, it is also not a deal breaker. But the main reason Sydney would prefer to play on Saturday afternoon or twilight is to feature at a family-friendly time. This year the Swans play eight night matches at the SCG and only one day and one twilight match at their home. The league will consider the quality of matches, crowd sizes and TV ratings when determining the Round 23 games. Oddly, the Hawks’ only Friday night game was their Round 8 loss to the Swans. That night young Sydney forward Ben Ronke kicked seven goals in just his third game to command the Rising Star nomination. Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson then sparked controversy by declaring Swans defenders were getting away with “blue murder” with illegal blocking tactics. Clarkson discussed the tactics over a coffee with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and then dressed up as Swans coach John Longmire when he went down the Big Freeze slide on Queen’s Birthday. If Essendon or Fremantle mounts a charge towards the top eight their games could overtake the Hawks-Swans clash as the Friday night favourite. The only other possible option would be Geelong-Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium. But given the Suns’ continued plight that is considered no chance. The pre-finals bye means likely finalists can be scheduled to play at any stage during Round 23. Last year the AFL used the Round 23 Friday night game to farewell retiring Hawks legend Luke Hodge and Western Bulldogs champions Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd. Hodge then came out of retirement to play for Brisbane Lions. LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia, June 15, 2018