AFL 2021: AFL releases fixture for AAMI Community Series
They’re the two teams many peg to be big improvers in 2021. Fans will get a first look at Carlton and St Kilda in the AFL pre-season opener. FULL FIXTURE
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A bumper Richmond-Collingwood clash will headline a revamped preseason competition in early March.
The reigning premier Tigers will take on Nathan Buckley’s Magpies at Marvel Stadium on Friday night March 5 in what will be one of three games in five days at the indoor venue.
The contest could see Jordan De Goey trial in a more permanent onball role against the Tigers’ triple-premiership superstar Dustin Martin.
The AFL was forced to revise the AAMI Community Series this year due to ongoing border restrictions and the need to reduce the amount of interstate travel.
Teams will now play only one formal preseason match and one informal scratch match before Round 1.
Carlton and St Kilda will open the AAMI Community Series on Thursday, March 4 at Marvel Stadium, helping kick-start a huge year for the Blues after seven seasons out of the eight.
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Hawthorn and North Melbourne will face off in Launceston, Geelong host Essendon at GMHBA Stadium to help promote their Round 16 Country Game at the Cattery and Adam Treloar will step out in Western Bulldogs colours when they meet Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Monday March 8 from 3.10pm.
Fremantle host Adelaide, and West Coast take on Port Adelaide. Sydney play Gold Coast and GWS Giants will come up against Brisbane Lions.
Clubs are happy the competition has been downsized from two formal games to one and means there will be less interstate movement in the lead-up to the regular season.
Clubs and broadcasting boss Travis Auld said it was unfortunate the AFL could no longer take the game out to various regional centres which were previously scheduled to host some preseason games.
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“Each of those regions play an extremely important role in our game and the decision to revise the AAMI Community Series was made to protect the health and safety of the competition and the wider community which remains the priority for the league,” Auld said.
“It is communities like these that are the heartbeat of Australian Football and we hope to be able to return to each of those areas and play games there in the future.
“While we share the disappointment of these regions, we also look forward to more fans being able to safely attend AAMI Community Series matches, particularly in states where supporters have not been able to attend a men’s game in over a year.
The 2021 AAMI Community Series will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.
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The two South Australian clubs won’t face each other in the official pre-season comp, but they are likely to arrange an unofficial pre-season Showdown.
Teams will decide on the format of these pre-season practice matches, such as the number of players and length of the game.
The Crows and Power were still working through what their summer Showdown would look like on Monday in the wake of the AFL’s changes.
They are also waiting on the league to tell them where their official pre-season match would be.
“We are just waiting to find out if we are playing here or if we are travelling interstate,” Crows head of football Adam Kelly said on FIVEaa.
Port Adelaide’s match in Whyalla against Carlton has definitely been called off because of the new plan by the AFL.
Whyalla City Council chief executive Justin Commons said, while it was disappointing, he understood the AFL’s decision.
“While Whyalla was looking forward to once again hosting the (pre-season) game, we understand that the health of players, staff and the wider community comes first,” he said.
“Our team (at Bennett Oval) will continue this focus throughout the year and ensure we’re ready to go in the hope that we’ll again have the opportunity to host an AFL pre-season game next year.”
Because of Western Australia’s border restrictions with Victoria, NSW and Queensland the AFL rescheduled the first two rounds of the AFLW season so West Coast and Fremantle take on the Crows and GWS - who have relocated to an Adelaide hub.
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AFL teams will play only one formal practice match as part of a downsized pre-season competition in early March.
As the Herald Sun revealed on Wednesday, ongoing border restrictions forced the AFL to reduce and re-shape the AAMI Community Series to help minimise interstate travel and movement before Round 1.
The AFL on Sunday confirmed teams will play one formal practice game and one informal scratch match in the lead up to the regular season.
The formal games will be played between Wednesday, March 3 and Sunday, March 7.
The unofficial scratch matches will be between teams from the same state.
The teams will decide between themselves on the format of these games, including number of players used and length of quarters.
Clubs contacted by the Herald Sun are happy with the modified pre-season competition to help limit the amount of interstate travel required on the eve of the season.
Clubs were originally scheduled to play two games across three weeks starting mid next month.
But clubs and broadcast manager Travis Auld said the league had to tweak the competition in the best interests of the clubs and the players.
“In addition to ensuring we continue to prioritise the health of our players, staff, and the wider community, this arrangement provides clubs with the ability to determine individual requirements, allowing clubs and players to best prepare for the season ahead,” Auld said.
“The AAMI Community Series plays an important role for both AFL clubs and supporters and we are proud to have AAMI as the naming-rights partner for this upcoming series.
“The AAMI Community Series will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.”
Meanwhile, league bosses remain optimistic the regular season will proceed as normal amid hopes Western Australia will ease its strict border regulations after the March 13 state election.
It would be a huge boost for the AFL if the WA authorities give the green light for interstate teams to fly in and out of the state on match days ahead of the March 18 season-opener.
Gold Coast is still expecting to travel to Perth to play West Coast at Optus Stadium on March 21, while Fremantle plays Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, March 20.
But the AFL is planning a raft of contingencies in the event further COVID-19 outbreaks across the country force teams to serve 14 days in quarantine and play multiple games on interstate road trips.
A return to hubs in the regular season looms as a last resort after players and staff last year spent up to four months in hubs to help save the season.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, a member of last year’s AFL “war cabinet”, said on Wednesday he wanted the season to start early.
But there remain hurdles in the short term as WA’s border is currently closed to “medium-risk” states New South Wales and Queensland.
“I’m not sure when it’s going to start or finish. I’ve been pushing, by the way, for it to start early,” McGuire said on SEN.
“I reckon that the one thing we know about COVID, it’s cold. Why wait until it gets cold? Get going.
“We’ve got no Grand Prix’s or things. March would be a good time to get started, I would have thought.
“But they’re all discussions that I’m sure are happening.”
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett told the Herald Sun this week the Victorian Government’s willingness to have crowds at Melbourne Park for the tennis should apply to the start of the football season with crowds of up to 50 per cent at the MCG, Marvel Stadium and GMHBA Stadium.
League officials are closely monitoring the Australian Open fiasco and scheduling for the upcoming Big Bash League finals.
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Plane loads of the biggest names in tennis have been forced into two weeks of quarantine before the tournament begins due to a string of positive cases.
Cricket Australia was earlier in the week confident it could stage Big Bash League finals in every state when the six-game series begins on Friday.
“The status of borders is looking promising,” BBL boss Alistair Dobson told the Herald Sun on Wednesday.
“Sydney still remains the challenge, but we’re working with each state government and the relevant health authorities about being able to play in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Tasmania and Melbourne as well.
“Right now we’d be hoping to play as many if not all the finals in home markets, with an asterisk on Sydney.”
BBL clubs have spent the season living in biosecurity bubbles, which relax and tighten in line with state regulations.
The Stars and Renegades are housed at the Park Hyatt Hotel in the city, with local players unable to return home or visit family until their season concludes.
The BBL campaign has been staged in rolling hubs, with clubs playing a cluster of games in one state before relocating to the next.
The bubble set up has helped appease state governments and health officers who have granted travel exemptions to help keep the season flowing.
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Originally published as AFL 2021: AFL releases fixture for AAMI Community Series
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