AFL fixture news: Keep up to date with where the key finals games will be played
More than 20,000 tickets have been snapped up in less than 24 hours for Brisbane’s do-or-die clash with the Bulldogs. Find out how many tickets are left.
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More than 20,000 tickets have been snapped up in less than 24 hours for Saturday’s semi final clash at the Gabba as the game looks set to become a full house.
The do-or-die match between the Lions and the Bulldogs is on track to see around 35,000 fans pack the stands of the Gabba in what will be the final AFL game in Brisbane for the season.
The winner of Saturday’s crucial match will advance through to the preliminary finals, facing Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval next Saturday night.
Brisbane star Charlie Cameron said a sell-out crowd this weekend would be a huge boost for the Lions as they look to end their 18-year premiership drought.
“It’s a pretty big week,” Cameron said.
“We get another chance against a quality side this weekend against the Dogs.
“We’re excited.
“Hopefully it’s a 100 per cent crowd.”
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AFL SLAMS DOOR ON BULLDOGS’ SEMI-FINAL REQUEST
The AFL has denied Western Bulldogs’ request for a twilight semi-final with the game confirmed for Saturday night in Brisbane.
The Dogs had favoured a 4.45pm timeslot but the league has stuck to its usual primetime Saturday night fixture with the first bounce to be at 7.20pm.
Under current Queensland rules, a capacity crowd is able to attend the match at the Gabba.
Lions priority one members will be able to access tickets to Saturday’s game at 1pm on Tuesday as the club looks forward to a possible sellout against the Bulldogs.
With more than 40,000 members, Brisbane is hoping to completely fill the Gabba.
Lions priority two members will be able to purchase tickets at 3pm on Tuesday while the general public will have access at 5pm.
The Bulldogs will remain at Country Club in Launceston this week, before flying to Brisbane on Friday.
The club had requested not to play a night game on Saturday given they will be confined to a hotel in Brisbane before the match.
“One of the considerations is when we are flying to Brisbane we won’t be able to leave our hotel room,” Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said on Sunday.
“We fly in Friday and we’re playing Saturday. So you’d like to think that game is earlier than a night game otherwise we’ll be in the hotel the whole day. You deal with it, but ideally you’re not.
“I think the AFL are trying to look after everyone’s wellbeing under the circumstances and a conscientious decision will be made.”
If the Bulldogs were to defeat the Lions, they would then travel to Adelaide for a preliminary final against Port Adelaide.
While not yet confirmed by the AFL or Victorian Government, a Grand Final is then certain to be played in Perth.
Geelong and GWS will do battle in this week’s other semi-final in Perth on Friday night.
AFL DROPS HUGE HINT ON GRAND FINAL BYE
Sam Landsberger
The Western Bulldogs will have to travel almost 6000km to reach the Grand Final after results in the qualifying finals conspired to give them the longest road possible to glory.
The Dogs flew from Melbourne to Tasmania on Saturday and will travel to Brisbane on Friday after basing themselves at the Country Club in Launceston this week.
Should they consign Brisbane Lions to a second straight-sets finals exit in three seasons, the Dogs would then have to go through a hostile preliminary final against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval to reach the premiership decider.
The AFL on Sunday night confirmed the Geelong v Greater Western Sydney semi-final will take place on Friday night at 7.50pm at Perth Stadium, while the Lions-Dogs encounter will be played on Saturday at the Gabba, with a start time to be confirmed.
Curiously, the AFL did not release details for week four of the finals series on Sunday night and there is a suspicion the pre-Grand Final bye could be scrapped.
That would bring the decider forward to September 18. The match is currently scheduled to be played on September 25.
The Dogs recaptured their mojo in the second half of Sunday’s elimination final as they beat up the Bombers in the midfield, winning contested ball by 33 and clearances by 10.
They restricted the Bombers to their lowest finals score since 1908 as they endured the first goalless second half in a final since Geelong in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, the Lions have lost Daniel McStay to concussion in an injury which threatens coach Chris Fagan’s structure of playing three key forwards.
It is understood that Fagan will consider bringing in Ryan Lester to play in the backline and unleashing All-Australian defender Harris Andrews as a forward to cover McStay.
The Victorian Government is expected to raise the white flag and sign off on the Grand Final relocating from the MCG to Perth Stadium early this week.
That would see the Bulldogs required to play four finals at four different venues across four foreign states in what would have to be the most arduous finals campaign in history.
But the taxing itinerary won’t be totally foreign for a club which won multiple finals on the road on the way to breaking a 62-year premiership drought in 2016.
While the Dogs would face nine hours in the air to reach Perth for the grand final, the other remaining five finalists will be far more settled.
Geelong, Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney are all locked in one side of the draw that will remain in Perth regardless of results.
The Cats and Giants will play at Perth Stadium on Friday night and the winner will then meet the Demons in a Friday night preliminary final, which will also be played in Perth.
While the Dogs would face nine hours in the air to reach Perth for the grand final, the other remaining five finalists will be far more settled.
Geelong, Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney are all locked in one side of the draw that will remain in Perth regardless of results.
The Cats and Giants will play at Perth Stadium on Friday night and the winner will then meet the Demons in a Friday night preliminary final, which will also be played in Perth.
The winner of the Dogs-Lions clash will be given a seven-day break, with Port Adelaide assigned the Saturday night preliminary final.
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