AFL fixture latest: Port and Adelaide outline preferences for home Showdowns
Adelaide has made an official request to host a Friday night home Showdown against Port Adelaide in 2022 — but the Power have their own ideas for their home fixture.
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Port Adelaide won’t follow the Crows request for a Friday night home Showdown in 2022, instead asking the AFL to play its fierce rival on a Saturday under lights.
Adelaide revealed on Monday that it had made a formal submission to the league to host the first ever Friday night blockbuster against the Power next year.
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But Port Adelaide’s home Showdown priority is to face the Crows on a Saturday night – the preferred timeslot of Power supporters.
The Power’s past three home games against Adelaide have been Saturday clashes with 7.10pm starts.
It was understood Port Adelaide would embrace the opportunity to play the Crows as the away side in the marquee Friday night spot.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has previously indicated his support for a Showdown in that prime time but scheduling needs to be worked through with broadcaster Channel 7.
Along with a Saturday night home clash against the Crows, the Power’s other key fixture request to the league was for a home game in Anzac round.
Port Adelaide considers it a huge privilege to host a match that week, when it recognises the military service of past players such as dual Magarey Medallist and war hero Bob Quinn, and awards the Peter Badcoe VC Medal, in honour of South Australia’s last Victoria Cross winner.
It has presented the Badcoe Medal since 2004.
The Power hosted St Kilda on Anzac Day this past season but no clubs played that round in 2020 due to the league’s Covid shutdown.
Port Adelaide has not requested a particular timeslot for a home Anzac match.
The AFL is expected to release the full 2022 fixture in the next few days.
Last week the league announced Round 1, featuring the Power away to Brisbane on Saturday, March 19 and the Crows hosting Fremantle in a twilight match the following day.
Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said the club believed the Showdown deserved to be played on a Friday night.
“We are pushing hard and we are hopeful that can come through in the next couple of days,” Silvers said on Monday.
“It is a massive rivalry.”
Is it finally time for Friday night Showdown?
Adelaide has put in a formal submission with the AFL for the Crows home Showdown in 2022 to become the first match of the fierce rivalry with Port Adelaide to be fixture on a Friday night.
Despite the Crows-Powers clash enjoying a reputation as one of the competition’s greatest rivalries, the match has never featured in the AFL’s prime time slot.
AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan has previously indicated he would support a shift to Friday night, but said the final decision would rest with Channel 7.
The Showdown usually gets slated for a Saturday twilight or evening timeslot.
After Round 1 was revealed last week the full 2022 fixture is expected to be announced later this week.
Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said the club had asked the AFL to make their home match against the Power the first ever Friday night Showdown.
“What I’ve seen is that it is a massive rivalry,” Silvers said of the Showdown.
“We think it is deserving of a marquee timeslot and we are pushing with the AFL to get that and we are going to strive hard to get a good key marquee timeslot for the Showdown that is going to get announced this week.
“We have put in a formal submission for a home Showdown to be played in a marquee timeslot and we are pushing hard and we are hopeful that can come through in the next couple of days.”
The last Showdown, a Crows home game before a 15,000 crowd after a Covid-19 outbreak in SA, was the 50th edition of the fierce rivalry.
Because of Covid-19 there was only one Showdown held in 2020, a Port home game in front of just 2000 fans.
The Power has won the last four Showdowns.
Outside of a potentially historic Showdown, Silvers said the Crows were also pushing for home games against big Victorian clubs in prime timeslots.
“We are pushing really hard to play some strong home games,” he said.
“We are pushing for a marquee slot against some potential big Victorian clubs and just give our members and fans the opportunity to get back to Adelaide Oval.”
Outside of the Showdown’s the Crows only played one match at Adelaide Oval on Friday or Saturday evening in 2021, against Gold Coast in Round 3.
In Round 1 in 2022 the Crows will take on Fremantle on Sunday March 20 at 3.40pm ACST.
Tricky starts for Power, Crows as Round 1 fixture revealed
The AFL has drawn eight finalists to square off as part of a blockbuster Round 1 to kickstart the 2022 season.
News Corp can exclusively reveal that the season opener will start with a Wednesday night clash at the MCG between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, while Port Adelaide will begin its premiership tilt on the road to fellow flag contender Brisbane on the Saturday night, March 19.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL ROUND 1 FIXTURE
Other 2021 finalists to clash in Round 1 next year are the Giants tackling cross-town rivals Sydney at newly named Accor Stadium, while Geelong will host the emerging Essendon at GMHBA Stadium.
Adelaide will kick off its third year under coach Matthew Nicks in a Sunday twilight contest against the Dockers on March 20.
As the competition emerges from two years of Covid chaos, the AFL has taken the unique approach of scheduling all 10 Victorian AFL teams to play in Victoria on the same weekend for the first time since Round 20, 2016.
The Demons will unfurl their premiership flag at a packed-out MCG on Wednesday, March 16 after breaking the game’s longest premiership drought in Perth.
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It has been 249 days since the last match in front of an MCG crowd. The traditional Thursday night clash between Carlton and Richmond will unfold the following night at the MCG.
In another key milestone, Sydney Swans’ champion Lance Franklin will attempt to bag the five goals he needs to crack the 1000-goal mark when the Swans take on GWS Giants on Saturday night, March 19.
Franklin is seeking to become only the sixth VFL/AFL player in history to kick 1000 goals.
While the Lions are trading blows with the Power at the Gabba, Gold Coast will fly west to open its year against West Coast in Perth on Sunday March 20.
In other matches St Kilda takes on Collingwood at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, while Hawthorn will tackle North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
The entire AFL 2022 fixture is expected to be out next week.
Both SA clubs are facing tricky starts, having lost the subsequent meetings last season against Brisbane and Fremantle.
The Power will also be looking to rebound from its 76-point preliminary final smashing by the Bulldogs, while the Crows will be hoping for another winning start after upsetting Geelong at home this year.
Crows wingman Paul Seedsman said the club hoped to take more strides next season after finishing 15th this year with a 7-15 record.
“We want to improve as a team and I’ll do whatever I can to help us get to the level we want to and get back to playing finals football, which is what the club wants,” Seedsman said.
Brisbane CEO Greg Swann welcomed the chance for the Lions to launch next season at their Gabba fortress.
“We’ve had some great battles with Port over the last few years and playing them at home in the first round will be another exciting chapter,” Swann said.
“We can’t wait to get out there and start our 2022 campaign in front of our home crowd at the Gabba.”
The Sydney derby clash will be the two NSW clubs’ first meeting since last year’s dramatic elimination final, when the Giants scored a thrilling one-point win over the Swans to end their season.
It will also be their first meeting at Accor Stadium — formerly known as Stadium Australia — since the 2016 qualifying final, when a derby record of 60,000 was in attendance.
Giants midfielder Jacob Hopper said he was “super excited” to be back playing at the venue.
“It’s a special rivalry between our two clubs,” he said.
“We feel like we’re creating history every time we step out on the field for a Sydney derby, us still being pretty new and the Swans having that deep history.
“We both love playing against each other and I think that shows, so we’re pumped to be facing off against the Swans straight off the cuff.”
It’ll be the first time the two clubs have met in Round 1 since 2012, which was the Giants’ AFL debut at the same Homebush venue.
The men’s competition begins a week after the AFLW’s 10th and final minor round, which will feature all games being played in Victoria across the weekend of March 11-13.
“To finish our NAB AFLW season in Victoria and have these matches possibly determine final placings is huge,” league boss Gillon McLachlan said.
“And then to launch the biggest start to an AFL season ever, including a Wednesday night season opener is going to give us a lot of momentum for the season ahead.”
While venues for the AFLW Round 10 matches have been determined, the day and time will be released at a later date.
The AFLW season starts on January 7.
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Originally published as AFL fixture latest: Port and Adelaide outline preferences for home Showdowns
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