The league has released nine rounds of the 2022 AFL season, with an expectation to continue the gradual roll-out of the draw with potential for travel interruptions due to the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
The five-day opening round will feature a grand final replay between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs at the MCG, then stand-alone fixtures will follow on Thursday and Friday.
Carlton and Richmond, who have traditionally launched the season, will have to be content as bridesmaids as they contest their annual Thursday night fixture on March 17 at the MCG.
Then the Saints will host the first match of the season at Marvel Stadium when they take on the Magpies.
In the opening week of the season there are three back-to-back matches on Saturday, March 20, the line-up much more appealing than Sunday’s draw.
The Battle of the Bridge between Sydney and Greater Western Sydney is on Saturday afternoon, following the Geelong and Essendon match.
Then the blockbuster between finalists Brisbane and Port Adelaide is the feature match of Saturday evening.
Unless you are a supporter of the teams contesting Sunday’s first round fixture there doesn’t look to be a significant amount of interest in the fixture.
Lowly Hawthorn and North Melbourne battle, followed by Adelaide and Fremantle, then the Eagles and the Suns finish off the afternoon.
It does, however, have some local interest as Cohuna’s Josh Treacy and Moama’s Lachie Schultz will both be expected to be in Fremantle’s best 22.
We won’t know until closer to the season whether another of the local products, Marty Hore, has managed to win himself a spot on the North Melbourne list.
Having been dropped from the Melbourne list, he has been training with the Kangaroos.
Thursday evening football will return for the first five rounds of the season before the first of the much talked about double header Friday night rounds starts on Friday, May 6 (round eight).
Melbourne has Gold Coast Suns and Essendon in weeks two and three of the new season, before Echuca’s two most celebrated AFL exports – Oliver and reigning Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines – face off in round four on Thursday, April 7.
Before facing off in the round four blockbuster, Wines and his Port Adelaide team, probably the bad luck story of 2021, have solid warm-up bouts with Hawthorn and Adelaide.
Thursday and Friday night starting times have been a hot topic of debate in AFL supporter circles, with matches on Thursday mostly scheduled for 7.20pm.
There is an extra half an hour, with a 7.50pm stating time in Melbourne, for Friday night fixtures.
For supporters of Geelong who plan to travel from Echuca, there remains an extra half an hour’s grace for the club’s big match against Brisbane in round four (April 8) with a 7.50pm starting time.
- Melbourne Football Club’s celebrations have forced a delay to the club’s best and fairest award.
Melbourne will crown its Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy winner during a historic awards night at Crown Palladium on Friday, December 17.
The event, which was originally scheduled to take place in October, is set to be a night to remember, with the club and its supporters celebrating the momentous premiership season.
Hosted by Clint Stanaway, the awards ceremony will see the club reflect on its unforgettable year, while crowning the Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy winner, alongside a number of other individual club awards.
Demons fans across the country and internationally will be able to tune into the event via a livestream on the Melbourne website and app.
The live coverage will continue across the club’s social channels with red carpet and behind-the-scenes footage available via Melbourne's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. You can follow along using the hashtag #Bluey21.
Following the night, speeches, interviews and other exclusive footage will be available on Melbourne’s website.
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