By Jake Niall
Essendon and Carlton will be handed one final match in the coveted, prime-time Thursday-night slot in round 24 when the AFL finalises its contentious floating fixture.
The league is strongly considering pairing the clash between Port Adelaide versus Gold Coast on the same night. It will be Ken Hinkley’s final game as Power coach.
The Bombers and Carlton will kickstart round 24 in the Thursday-night timeslot.Credit: Getty Images
The Bombers and Blues have played a string of matches on Thursday and Friday nights in the second half of the season as they both spiralled out of finals contention, leaving their fans disappointed and creating a number of one-sided contests in the marquee free-to-air TV timeslot.
There have been some Friday-night double-headers this season, and it will happen again this week when Essendon play the Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney take on Sydney. But the round 24 proposal on August 21 would be the first instance of a Thursday double-up.
Why more of both Essendon and Carlton in a prime Thursday or Friday slot, given their underwhelming form, absence from finals contention and the Bombers’ casualty ward of injured players?
On this occasion, the AFL has arguably little choice, due to the postponed game between Gold Coast and Essendon, which is expected to be played the week after, on the Wednesday of the pre-finals bye week. That week is also earmarked for a series of league-wide functions, including the announcement of the All-Australian team, players’ MVP and coaches’ award.
AFL officials confirmed to this masthead that the scheduling of Gold Coast v Essendon – the game postponed from opening round, due to the cyclone that struck Queensland in March – created the need to give both teams the maximum break possible before the postponed game on the Gold Coast.
If Essendon are to play Carlton on the Thursday, the Bombers will have a six-day break before their game against the Suns.
If the Suns’ game against Port was scheduled on the Friday, they would have one fewer day – just five days – which would not be ideal for them as they seek to make finals for the first time in their 15 years in the competition.
Clearly, from a marketing and television audience viewpoint, it would be preferable for the AFL to play the Port Adelaide v Gold Coast game – which contain both Hinkley’s final game and the Suns’ finals bid as storylines - on the Friday night, separate from Essendon and Carlton.
The AFL has not made a final decision on those games, they say, excepting Essendon and Carlton’s lock on the Thursday night.
Remarkably, the round 24 game will be the eighth time since round 15 that the Bombers and/or Blues have played on in the prime slots of Thursday and Friday nights, the AFL having punted unsuccessfully on Carlton and Essendon’s form when they ruled on the times for the “floating” final rounds.
The Bombers had the late season fixturing complication of that re-scheduled game, which created a need for them to play on Fridays/Thursdays in rounds 22 and 23, to avoid more short breaks.
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