By Jon Pierik
Carlton, Geelong and Brisbane will dominate Thursday and Friday night prime time in the opening 15 rounds of the AFL season, as the league announced a revamp of the bye rounds which will now be spread over four weekends.
The full 2023 fixture of 23 matches per club across 24 weeks has been unveiled, but only the first 15 rounds have confirmed timeslots, ensuring flexibility for the run home to the finals.
Having already confirmed the new campaign will begin with a return to tradition on Thursday, March 16, when Carlton and Richmond clash at the MCG, league chiefs have decided the Blues (7), Lions (6) and premiers the Cats (5) will enjoy considerable exposure across the showpiece Thursday and Friday night slots.
The Blues, led by Patrick Cripps, have been handed a slate of prime time matches through the opening 15 rounds of the 2023 campaign.Credit: Getty Images
The Cats and Lions are legitimate premiership contenders, with league bosses backing the Blues to build on their rise of last season when they were in the top eight until the final evening of the campaign when they experienced an agonising loss to Collingwood.
AFL clubs, broadcasting and fixturing boss Travis Auld said the league was keen to begin the season strongly.
“Momentum early is key, and the fixture has been designed in a way to spread the marquee showpiece Thursday and Friday nights timeslots across all of the key states including games at the MCG, Marvel Stadium, SCG, the Gabba, Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium,” he said.
“Thursday night blockbusters remain a priority for us, both from a broadcast and crowd-build perspective. We feel we have the right balance, having five in the first five rounds, a break, then Thursdays come back into play across rounds 13 through 15.
“The Sunday afternoon 3:20pm timeslot worked really well last season - big match-ups, big crowds and some of the best games of the season. We are hoping that continues in 2023.”
The league has acted on public complaints about the lack of games, particularly on a Saturday and Sunday, through what had been three weeks of bye rounds, and have extended this period by a week - but clubs will still have only the one bye.
The byes will be spread across rounds 12-15 in June, a move made easier by the addition of an extra round, the Gather Round. This means there are at least two games every Saturday and Sunday, where there had been only one game on those days.
The season will gain considerable momentum through the Easter weekend of round four, the ensuing Gather Round when all 18 teams are based in South Australia, and the Anzac round, which immediately follows.
The Easter weekend once again opens with the Lions hosting Collingwood at the Gabba on a Thursday night, and North Melbourne now facing the Blues on Good Friday, with funds raised for the Royal Children’s Hospital. The Cats and Hawthorn cap the round with their traditional clash on Easter Monday.
Anzac Day falls on a Tuesday, when the Magpies and Essendon clash in the marquee home-and-away fixture of the season at the MCG. Melbourne and Richmond will have their now traditional Anzac Day eve match at the MCG, while the round also features the grand final rematch between the Cats and Sydney at GMHBA Stadium, the Cats’ first of the season at their traditional home base which is undergoing more redevelopment.
The Cats enjoy a friendly run home, with six of their final 10 games in Geelong.
The Showdown in Adelaide and Derby in Perth have been designated for round three, the same weekend when St Kilda hosts Essendon at the MCG in their 150th anniversary match.
There will be a Friday night doubleheader in round nine, in a bid to maximise crowds with Mother’s Day falling on the Sunday. The two Friday games feature a heavyweight battle between the Tigers and Cats at the MCG, while the night cap has the West Coast Eagles hosting the improving Gold Coast Suns.
On Saturday, North Melbourne will face their former No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis for the first time, at Blundstone Arena, while the Swans and Fremantle clash at the SCG in what could be Lance Franklin’s 350th game. The two Sunday games include the Magpies hosting the Giants at 4.40pm at the MCG.
Sir Doug Nicholls Round will be held across rounds 10 and 11, with marquee games in Sydney, Darwin, Adelaide, and the annual Dreamtime at the ’G event featuring the Tigers and Bombers.
The traditional Marngrook game between Sydney and Carlton opens round 11 on a Friday night at the SCG.
There will be three matches held in the Northern Territory. The Gold Coast Suns will play the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows at TIO Stadium, Darwin, while Melbourne will take on Greater Western Sydney in Alice Springs.
New Bombers coach Brad Scott will meet his former club North Melbourne for the first time in round 12 in a Sunday twilight clash at Marvel Stadium. The following round has the Bombers and Blues clashing on a King’s Birthday eve match on a Sunday night at the MCG, with the Big Freeze at the MCG coming on the Monday as part of the King’s Birthday game between the Demons and Magpies. This will be new Demons ruckman Brodie Grundy’s only chance through the home-and-away season to face his former club.
Round one also has the Cats and Magpies in a Friday night blockbuster at the MCG, while Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs are the headline act on the Saturday night. Ross Lyon steps out for the first time in his second coming as St Kilda coach against his former club Fremantle.
The league will hope for an exciting culmination to the season, but the Magpies and Blues will not meet again to close the campaign. The Blues face the Giants at Marvel Stadium, with the Magpies and Bombers meeting at the MCG. Geelong versus the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne taking on Sydney are also likely to have finals implications.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.