AFL Fixture 2025: Opening Round blockbusters revealed
Cats fans won’t have to wait long to see Bailey Smith don the blue and white hoops, while the Hawks are finally back in prime time. JAY CLARK reveals the full Opening Round fixture.
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Superstar midfielder Bailey Smith will make a blockbuster start to his new life at Geelong while Hawthorn will be immediately thrust on to centre stage as part of the AFL’s Opening Round next season.
The Herald Sun can reveal the Lions will host the Cats at the Gabba in the first game of the new season on Thursday, March 6 as part of a first-up acid test for Geelong’s newest jet recruit. And Hawthorn will also unveil new faces Josh Battle and Tom Barrass in the club’s first home-and-away Friday night game in two years against Sydney Swans at the SCG the following night.
The Hawks have been off-Broadway as part of a four-year rebuild but the AFL has backed-in the club’s new showstopping style and box office appeal to help headline the first round of 2025.
Opening Round will again showcase the game up north with four matches in four days in New South Wales and Queensland expected to sellout for the second-straight year.
Essendon will embark on a new era without powerhouse forward Jake Stringer when the Bombers make the trip to take on a bolstered Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon.
And Collingwood’s gamble on playmaker Harry Perryman will be on full show when the Magpies battle GWS Giants on Sunday at Engie Stadium, with new defender Dan Houston suspended for Round 1.
The spotlight will also be on Stringer in his first game for the Giants after he was booted from the Bombers for pick 53 on the back of a 42-goal season.
The game will be back with a bang in Victoria for Round 1 with Richmond and Carlton set to lock horns in the traditional Thursday night clash at the MCG on March 13.
Round 1 will feature a full suite of nine matches.
Melbourne and Richmond were dumped from last year’s Opening Round, while Carlton requested not to be part of it as the Blues set their sights on the rebuilding Tigers in Round 1.
The eight teams which feature in Opening Round will be given a bye over the course of the next month with all teams back on level pegging by Gather Round in Round 5.
But there will be enormous intrigue and star power across Opening Round next year as the biggest names of the trade period – including Smith at Geelong, Barrass and Battle at Hawthorn, Daniel Rioli for the Suns, and Perryman at the Pies – all prepare to step out in their new colours.
It will be a tough opening for Smith who hasn’t played in more than a year since tearing his ACL ligament last summer, but is set to be injected straight into Geelong’s engine room.
It will be a revenge mission of sorts for the Cats in the season-opener after they were knocked out by Brisbane in last year’s preliminary final on the way to a stunning premiership.
The Lions will unfurl the premiership flag before the first game of the season at a sold-out Gabba.
And the marquee slots are a sign of things to come with the Lions, Cats and Hawks all expected to be given a generous amount of prime time games when the fixture is released on Thursday.
The Hawks were the big movers in 2024 under Sam Mitchell and are certain to return to be put under lights regularly in the new fixture as a reward for their new-found flair.
The league is expected to increase the number of Thursday night games from 14 last season to about 20 next season following strong audience and attendance figures in 2024.
It means Thursday night football will feature almost every week of the 24-round season.
Western Bulldogs were overlooked again for Opening Round but have requested an early-season blockbuster match against Collingwood at the MCG to celebrate the club’s 100-year anniversary.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the league’s Opening Round initiative was expected to deliver more tremendous results for the game next year.
“After a successful start to the 2024 season, we look forward to continuing the momentum in 2025 before we head into a blockbuster round of matches in Round 1,” Dillon said.
“Footy is growing exponentially in New South Wales and Queensland, all four clubs saw more than 10 per cent growth in membership this past season and we have seen community participation numbers grow a combined 17 per cent this year.
“We were fortunate to be in a position where we were able to have access to our major venues in Queensland and New South Wales a weekend earlier than usual which gave us a unique opportunity to create Opening Round and we are thrilled these venues are available to us again for next year.”
Next year’s Opening Round also coincides with Labour Day weekend in Victoria, allowing football fans to travel for games.
It means Round 1 will be on the same weekend as the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park in a monster weekend of sport for Melbourne.
“It presents a terrific opportunity for fans to travel north to support their club and enjoy an extended interstate break,” Dillon said.
“We continue to strive to have footy in every home around the country, whether that be playing, coaching, umpiring, supporting or volunteering and starting the season across Queensland and NSW will only amplify this desire.”
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