Juicy matches in AFL’s ‘Opening Round’, Thursday nights on the agenda and likely Round 1 fixture

Queensland and New South Wales will host the AFL’s Opening Round to kick off the 2024 season in early March.

A four-match round, played the weekend prior to the traditional Round 1, will kick things off next year as the league looks to hone in on the northern states by taking some giant Victorian clubs interstate.

The campaign will commence between Sydney and Melbourne at the SCG on Friday, March 7 before Brisbane meets Carlton at the Gabba on Friday, March 8 in a Preliminary Final rematch.

Following up will be a juicy fixture between Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast and Richmond – the club he coached to three premierships – at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday, March 9 in Adem Yze’s first game at the helm of the Tigers.

GWS and reigning premiers Collingwood, who played in a thrilling Preliminary Final this year, will wrap up Opening Round at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.

The eight teams who play in Opening Round will undertake byes between Rounds 2 and 6 in order to have all 18 clubs on the same number of games played by Round 7.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said it was the perfect opportunity to open the season in a fresh way.

“We were fortunate to be in a position where we were able to have access to our major venues in Queensland and New South Wales a weekend earlier than usual which gave us a unique opportunity to play these four games in key markets where footy continues to grow in popularity,” Dillon said in a statement.

“The four match-ups are big, with four of our biggest supported Victorian clubs travelling north, and we look forward to starting our season with real momentum before we head into a blockbuster round of matches in Round 1.

“We continue to find opportunities to build marquee games and events across the season, with recent examples being King’s Birthday Eve, ANZAC Day Eve and Gather Round and our four matches in the Opening Round build on this approach.

“Given this weekend also falls on the Labour Day long weekend in Victoria it presents a terrific opportunity for fans to travel north to support their club and enjoy an extended interstate break.

“We are driven to have footy in every home around the country, whether that be playing, coaching, umpiring, supporting or volunteering and starting the season across Queensland and NSW will only amplify this desire.

“There’s a lot of people behind the scenes who helped bring this concept to life and I would like to thank our venues and the clubs for sharing in our Opening Round vision.”

AFL’s Opening Round – 2024

Thursday, March 7Sydney v Melbourne (SCG, 7:20pm)

Friday, March 8Brisbane v Carlton (Gabba, 7:50pm)

Saturday, March 9Gold Coast v Richmond (Heritage Bank Stadium, 4:20pm)GWS v Collingwood (Giants Stadium, 7:30pm)

Round 1 fixture taking shape

The Round 1 fixture is also taking shape with the traditional season opener between Carlton and Richmond kicking off the first full round at the MCG.

Seven of the nine fixtures are known.

The first-round fixtures for Adelaide, Gold Coast, GWS and North Melbourne are not yet confirmed.

The AFL will release the full fixture of the 2024 season on Thursday.

SEN’s Sam Edmund also reports that the AFL plans to have Thursday night football firmly on the agenda with 14 Thursday fixtures in the first 15 rounds.

The 2023 season hosted 11 Thursday night matches.

Likely Round 1 fixture – 2024

(7 of 9 games)

Thursday, March 14Carlton v Richmond (MCG)

Friday, March 15Collingwood v Sydney (MCG)

Saturday, March 16Essendon v Hawthorn (MCG)Geelong v St Kilda (GMHBA Stadium, night)

Sunday, March 17Port Adelaide v West Coast (Adelaide Oval)Melbourne v Western Bulldogs (MCG)Fremantle v Brisbane (Optus Stadium)