AFL reveals ‘Gather Round’ plan; powerhouse replaces Good Friday team: Fixture Whispers

The AFL has reportedly locked in the name of next season’s extra round to be hosted in South Australia in April next year.

The ‘Magic Round’ addition – with that name taken from rugby’s branding – is set to be called ‘Gather Round … a festival of footy’.

While the AFL is yet to determine the fixture for that additional round – where all 18 clubs will descend on South Australia for Round 5 – most games are set to be held at Adelaide Oval.

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Mr Barker mayor David Leach told RSN Radio on Wednesday that his city remained in the running to host a match during the extra round.

“These guys have been having talks last week about where the actual regional place is going to be outside of Adelaide,” he said.

“Most of the matches will be played at Adelaide Oval or some of the larger suburban SANFL ovals in Adelaide – but there is going to be one regional match and it’ll either be here or in or around the Barossa Valley.”

Last month the league confirmed an additional 23rd round would be played in 2023.

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But a full fixture for next season is yet to be released, with that expected to come later this week.

There’s reports Carlton will be given a Good Friday timeslot in place of the Western Bulldogs for next season.

The Dogs are set to be dumped from the marquee slot after their past two Good Friday clashes have ended in blow out scorelines with a 30,000 crowd average.

Footy journalist Mark Stevens joked the Dogs were being punished for dismantling opponents North Melbourne in the past two Easter fixtures.

“What the Bulldogs have done wrong is won by too much,” he said on RSN Radio.

“They should have maybe wheeled back in the last quarters.

“They won by 128 and 68 points the last two years.”

Kane Cornes questioned why the Bulldogs and not North Melbourne were set to be shafted from that prime fixture.

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“When I was a kid North owned Friday night. That’s certainly not the case now. The AFL wouldn’t dare give North more than one Friday night. I’m not sure just because they’ve advocated for it and put work into it that they should own it,” he said on SEN.

“It should be reflective of your performance and the interest levels in the game and if 28,000 show up then I’m not sure you do have a Monopoly on it.”

Questions over North Melbourne’s worthiness of the Good Friday fixture emerged back in April after the Bulldogs’ big Round 5 win.

“The one team who doesn’t have a game is St Kilda,” Matthew Lloyd said at the time on The Sunday Footy Show.

“I’m pleased that North Melbourne have a game that they can try and make more money as a club and everything, but St Kilda should be the club pitching.

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“I don’t want a big club getting it that’s currently got marquee games.”

In other fixture whispers, Melbourne recruit Brodie Grundy is set to wait until the King’s Birthday blockbuster to face his former side Collingwood.

There’s reports the AFL will refrain from scheduling an early fixture clash between the two clubs, leaving that big Monday match up as his first since his highly publicised departure from the Magpies.