Richmond and Western Bulldogs will kick off 20 consecutive days of AFL games when they face off at Metricon Stadium next Wednesday night.
The AFL released the fixture for rounds nine to 12 on Tuesday night, with games set to be held in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania across that time.
There will be 33 games in total across the 20 days.
Some teams face four-day breaks, while others will have a bye during the four-round block.
The AFL struck a deal with the AFLPA to lift the freeze on signing contracts from 2021, while securing approval for four-day breaks.
“We have taken the opportunity to compress the season as the feedback from clubs is that while they are in a hub environment there was a desire to play more games in a shorter period of time, and in turn we can effectively complete the season in a quicker format,” AFL general manager of clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld said.
“Given that we don’t have the ability to prioritise attendance at matches this season, it allows us to play games in the non-traditional time-slots of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night and showcase our game across the entire week.”
The fixture includes double headers on Thursday nights in round nine and 10, on the Monday night of round 11 and on the Wednesday night of round 10.
Brisbane, Collingwood, Geelong, Melbourne and North Melbourne face two four-day breaks, while Adelaide, Essendon, Gold Coast, Port Adelaide, Richmond and St Kilda have one.
Port Adelaide will play four games in 16 days and coach Ken Hinkley flagged rotating “seven or eight players in one game” as part of their management plan.
“We’ll respect the competition as best we possibly can as coaches, we’ll pick our best teams as often as we can but there will be some constraints that are unusual and we’ll have to manage,” Hinkley said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“But our first conversations tonight would be ‘when do we do this and how often do we need players to play?’
“We looked at our list straight away and we feel like we’ve got 35+ players who are capable of helping us out over this next four-game block – and we’re going to be leaning and calling on most of those players, I’d imagine.”
Every team will have a bye either in the upcoming block of fixtures or the next – bar Essendon and Melbourne, due to their postponed round three match.
Carlton, Fremantle, Hawthorn and West Coast have the bye in round 10.
After round 10, Sydney and GWS will travel to Perth and have a bye in round 11 while they fulfil quarantine requirements.
They will play each other in round 12 and are set to play West Coast and Fremantle in the next block of fixtures.
Geelong and Collingwood will depart the WA hub after round nine and head to Queensland for round 10.
Hawthorn and Carlton head to WA ahead of round nine and will spend the entire fixture block in that hub.
Pending state government exemption, North Melbourne will temporarily relocate to Hobart and play Melbourne and Brisbane at Blundstone Arena in rounds 11 and 12.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I'd take a brown-haired, blue-eyed Scorpio who can't cook.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I'd stay as unchanged as I could if I was selecting the blues.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
It's gotta be better than lockdown, surely. The AFL teams are some of the lucky ones.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Or had a prime time game, well Port at least
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Ahh, woman, man, as long as they can cook!
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Stupidity and ignorance has no borders
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Except you be already played the team sitting in top spot Neil, no 8 point game there. :stoked:
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Ha ha yep, and I can't even tell you why that Is, it just is. Foxtel have great doco's
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
I don't have Fox....although one my kids has got Kayo ready to go for the next month. Look - I don't really like it either. And perhaps you're right....perhaps Fox has tried to nut out a way to gain on this in a year were otherwise there might be few who would consider themselves "winners". I'm not sure of your vintage....but I was a young'un in the early '80s.....it was amazing when the South went North and we got a full live game of footy on tele once a fortnight....before that....how special were the one off type games up in Sydney or Brisbane. So.....I still feel pretty well serviced via FTA coverage and I don't mind Fox getting a bit of value here and there. My greater gripe has been the AFL burying some teams from FTA and from Friday nights in particular.....and then people whinging about equalisation distributions....which in no small part are compensation for the denial of access to said time slots. So.....if Fox are kept happy and the money keeps coming in.....beauty. And if the FFA and Rugby Australia are jettisoned along the way......so be it.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Mike you said you would start at the bottom and ignored the last and most important point. Also Mike, I don’t like Thursday night football, I don’t like Monday night football, why do I need to see Tuesday and Wednesday night to know I don’t like midweek football? “and work out who gets control of the big tele….” I have 1 TV.
Gerard Klomp
Guest
It is just a petty that a certain virus has gone a long way to destroy this AFl Season. I just wish sometime maybe it was better to close down the entire season and start again next year. but I understand that would of being a complete disaster for all. But I am enjoying the games now. Especially now that my team the Eagles are coming back to life.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Macca I'll start at the bottom - did we need to experience 16 minute quarters for that....no....of course not. But I think we can accept the 16 min quarters for this year are needed (especially given the break between round 1 and round 2 with lockdown and such limited preparation. The 'flipside'.......you don't like 7 day a week footy before it's begun. I'm not sure I will either.......although a short/sharp like how the BBL began - I think is better than how the BBL is now which just goes on for too long. For my fantasy footy league (we run off-line with a draft and a structured 10 team comp) - - it makes it tricky and I've been working out how we're going to make it work. I already don't like Thursday night footy because the other 8 games teams aren't released at COB on a Thurs.......1st world problems. The byes - normally are simple - over 3 weeks 2 rounds are completed with all clubs having a bye. This year......10 clubs hold over their bye until is it round 18??......it's a bit all over the shop but I gather that's being done to manage the hubs and that's the bigger issue - managing quarantining and hubs. Anyway - relax, sit back, put your feet up......and work out who gets control of the big tele....
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Well, can't deny, I've watched some excellent SBS/ABC shows in the last few months. Good quality TV, they are
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Soon the years will start to catch up and you'll find SBS on demand and ABC iView will be your faves :silly:
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Not Stocker now.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Bring it on GGG. Not fussed about it. Will bring our tight group even closer. Guys like Sier, Thomas, Scharenberg, Murphy, Appleby, Dunne, Reid, Greenwood coming back…many will get their chance.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Just the Aussie ones. I pay for Disney, Amazon and Binge (Foxtel's new one) - sharing all of those with my best mate. The folks pay for Netflix, Stan and Kayo, whilst we also have Apple TV+. I'm well sorted :silly:
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Because I use my phone I can take kayo etc to my parents and use there when we go visit.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Did you have a VPN and get the USA services or just the Aussie ones? I used to have stan, Disney and fox but just not enough hours to watch that much tv :stoked:
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
6x6 you’d be surprised at the amount of streaming services I have or share :shocked: