2025 AFL Fixture

[Axe Man]

AFL Fixture 2025 news: Carlton want out of Opening Round, possible Lions-Cats season opener revealed

Carlton wants to give the AFL?s blockbuster Opening Round a miss next season to avoid a road-heavy schedule in the early part of next year.

The Blues have told the league they would prefer to start their 2025 campaign in the traditional season-opener against Richmond on Thursday, March 13 at the MCG.

And Western Bulldogs are eying a blockbuster early-season game, potentially against Collingwood at the MCG, to help ramp up their 100th- year anniversary celebrations.

Next year the annual Round 1 Tigers-Blues blockbuster will be a home game for Richmond as Adem Yze?s men prepare to unleash a slew of top draft picks and kick-start a new era.

Victoria will welcome an influx of interstate and overseas visitors in Round 1 which also coincides with the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park, making it a spectacular weekend of sport in Melbourne on March 13-16.

WHAT WE KNOW
Opening Round
March 6-8 (New South Wales and Queensland)

Round 1
March 13-16 (Plus F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park)
Richmond v Carlton MCG March 13
Hawthorn v Essendon MCG TBC

Round 5
April 10-13 (Gather Round in South Australia)

Round 6
April 17-21 (Easter weekend)
Brisbane Lions v Collingwood Gabba April 17
North Melbourne v Carlton Marvel Stadium April 18

Round 7
April 24 - 27 (ANZAC Round)
Melbourne v Richmond MCG April 24
Collingwood v Essendon MCG April 25

The Blues are already slated to play away games in Round 1 (Richmond), Round 5 (Gather Round) and Round 6 for Good Friday (North Melbourne) and want to steer clear of another trip away to New South Wales or Queensland for the Opening Round on March 6-8.

The AFL wants to start the season up north again next year on March 6-8 after a successful Opening Round last year, selling out all four games.

But the fixture twist means the AFL will look to replace Carlton with another Victorian club such as Geelong for the first round of the 2025 season.

Cats? coach Chris Scott last year said the Opening Round was a ?compromise? for the AFL and its clubs as it allowed the eight teams which participated in it a second in-season bye.

The details will be confirmed when the AFL officially releases its fixture in the second week of November.

Collingwood is also open to being included again in Opening Round after missing finals last year gave the club a longer lead-in to the March 6-8 kick-off.

The Tigers could also be replaced for the Opening Round following the departure of four stars - Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Liam Baker, Jack Graham ? plus the retirement of champion Dustin Martin.

The Cats are a chance to take on Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in the first game of the 2025 season when the Lions will unfurl their premiership flag, although it remains unconfirmed as the AFL thrash out the final fixture details over the next fortnight.

It could also be a first look in the regular season at Geelong?s newest superstar recruit, Bailey Smith.

The Bulldogs were overlooked for a marquee fixture last season one year after the club was dumped from the stand-alone Good Friday slot in favour of Carlton.

But the Dogs have asked the league to schedule a high-drawing blockbuster clash against a powerhouse Victorian side such as the Magpies, Blues or Hawthorn in the early part of next season to celebrate the club?s 100th AFL season.

The Magpies loom as the ideal fit in a one-off home ground clash on a Thursday or Friday night at the MCG, or at the Dogs? home ground Marvel Stadium.

A clash at the MCG against the Magpies would draw a crowd in excess of 70,000-plus fans.

St Kilda has enjoyed an early-season blockbuster against Collingwood in recent years, including its 150th anniversary match in 2023, but that match is on shaky ground for 2025.

Hawthorn is expected to host traditional rival Essendon in Round 1 next year 40 years on from the Bombers? win over the Hawks in the 1985 Grand Final.

Carlton wants to increase the number of games it plays at the MCG from five to six next season.

[hujsh]

So what we were already doing before MFC decided it was more fun to beat up on us because they don't have a real premiership

[comrade]

Opening Round and Gather Round are dog shit and add nothing positive to the game. I?m also still filthy on losing Good Friday to Carlton. **** the AFL.

[Axe Man]

So what we were already doing before MFC decided it was more fun to beat up on us because they don't have a real premiership

It only says we requested an early season blockbuster, could very well still play our "traditional" round 1 game v Melbourne.

[hujsh]

It only says we requested an early season blockbuster, could very well still play our "traditional" round 1 game v Melbourne.

ugh, yeah

[bulldogsthru&thru]

The more i read about 2025 afel the less interested I get. I don't think they could dilute the product any further if they tried.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Opening Round and Gather Round are dog shit and add nothing positive to the game. I?m also still filthy on losing Good Friday to Carlton. **** the AFL.

Don't tar the two with the same brush.

Opening round just creates a cluster*** of fixture issues.
Playing first up against a team who has one under their belt is a nonsense.
Having the OR teams banking an extra break and nice little freshen up 6 weeks is unfair.
Having some teams having two byes before others have one is borderline cheating.

Gather round is epic. End.

[comrade]

Don't tar the two with the same brush.

Opening round just creates a cluster*** of fixture issues.
Playing first up against a team who has one under their belt is a nonsense.
Having the OR teams banking an extra break and nice little freshen up 6 weeks is unfair.
Having some teams having two byes before others have one is borderline cheating.

Gather round is epic. End.

Epic for who? The South Aussie clubs and fans, yeah. Clubs that got to play an ?away? game at a neutral venue, yeah.

For us? It was shithouse and creates more inequities in the fixture.

We were forced to give up a home game last year and it potentially cost us a top 4 spot. And it?ll probably happen again.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Epic for who? The South Aussie clubs and fans, yeah. Clubs that got to play an ?away? game at a neutral venue, yeah.

For us? It was shithouse and creates more inequities in the fixture.

We were forced to give up a home game last year and it potentially cost us a top 4 spot. And it?ll probably happen again.

It?s an extra game for all clubs, nobody is giving up a home game.

The SA club argument is also a poor one. Sure the same clubs should not play the SA clubs more than once over all the gather rounds, but Port and the Crows having one extra game in SA is far from the biggest concern in a competition where he GF is always played in one place.

Even the worst looked after Victorian teams (like us) travel a fraction of what the ?Interstate? teams travel, so there is also that. People are happy to complain about their club having to travel and how tired they are and whatnot, as long as that conversation doesn?t involve the clubs outside of Victoria.

Also, people who are SA fans are hardly the only ones enjoying gather round. That statement is a bit ignorant tbh.