GWS Giants and Sydney will travel only once in first month of AFL’s revised 2020 fixture

GWS and Sydney have been given a big leg-up by the AFL in its revised fixture for this season. See the full fixture for both clubs for the first month of the season restart.

Ben Horne

3 min read

May 25, 2020 - 9:21PM

GWS will host Collingwood at home in Round 4. Picture: Michael Klein

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The once shunned GWS Giants are the AFL’s new box office stars.

For the first time in the club’s nine-year history, GWS has been handed the right to host Friday night football in Sydney, the ultimate endorsement from the AFL, Channel 7 and Fox Sports that the Giants are officially competition heavyweights.

The AFL yesterday released rounds 2-5 of their return from COVID-19, with no battle of the bridge derby scheduled for the first part of the season, and a bulk of home games for the Giants and Swans who will play in Sydney on the same weekends.

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GWS will host Collingwood at home in Round 4. Picture: Michael Klein

Club history will be made at Giants Stadium on Friday night June 26, when GWS will go head-to-head with the Collingwood Magpies in the western Sydney heartland once dismissed by Eddie McGuire as “the Land of the Falafel”.

The previous Friday night, June 19, the Giants are also under lights on national TV against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium for the spite night rematch between Toby Greene and Marcus Bontempelli.

GWS also have a fifth round Sunday night prime time slot against Hawthorn on July 5 to cap off a first month of football which is a commercial success story for the club that was for years’ marginalised by the big wigs in Melbourne.

Toby Greene and Marcus Bontempelli will renew their rivalry early this season. Picture: AAP

Giants chief David Matthews said the exposure of a maiden Friday night match at Giants Stadium was enormous reward for last year’s grand final appearance, and the promise of a premiership charge in 2020.

“It’s something that’s been discussed and thought about in the past, but the Giants have never got to the position of being scheduled one,” said Matthews.

“It gives us a good chance to put Giants Stadium on a real stage. The guys are excited.

“I think it’s really important for our corporate partners. The partners of the club who have been incredibly loyal and patient through this stoppage as well. They like to see evidence of the fact they’re investing in a major growth story and that’s what the Giants are.

“… And against Collingwood. When you’re only playing Collingwood once, it’s nice to see them going on a plane and coming up to see us.

“It just shows you we do play exciting, very watchable football.”

Swans coach John Longmire looks over training. Picture: AAP

The schedule gets off to an inauspicious start for the two Sydney teams – with their round two return matches scheduled on top of each other on Sunday June 14.

Sydney will start off against Essendon at the SCG an hour and a half after first bounce between GWS and North Melbourne at Giants Stadium.

With no crowds, it’s not a major conflict, but it foreshadowed the prospect of the two Sydney clubs – who won their respective round one games – playing on top of each other a lot this year as the AFL keeps them together on the same track for home and away games.

In round 5 the Swans and Giants will also play a double-header in back-to-back Sunday timeslots in Sydney.

The Sydney Swans will play just one match away in the first month of football. Picture: Sarah Reed

One standout feature of the early bracket of the draw is that the Swans and GWS will only play one away match in the first four weeks – round 4. But they play on different days ruling out the prospect of sharing a chartered flight.

The big commercial drawcard for the Swans in the opening few weeks will be the round 4 Thursday night prime time blockbuster against the Western Bulldogs at the SCG.

GWS then host Collingwood the following night – making it two nights of box office television being beamed from Sydney.

Matthews is happy with the number of matches at fortress Giants Stadium, particularly after GWS won round one back in March against Geelong.

FIXTURE FOR SYDNEY TEAMS

ROUND 2

Sunday June 14

GWS v North Melbourne, Giants Stadium, 1.05pm

Sydney v Essendon, SCG, 3.35pm

ROUND 3

Friday June 19

Western Bulldogs v GWS, Marvel Stadium, 7.50pm

Saturday June 20

North Melbourne v Sydney, Marvel Stadium, 1.45pm