AFL blockbusters locked in for restart

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The AFL has announced a series of heavyweight Thursday and Friday night fixtures as it aims to restart the 2020 season with a bang next month.

The popularity of Victorian powerhouses Richmond and Collingwood will be leveraged – both are set to play three times in those feature time-slots over the opening four weeks of the restart.

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Dustin Martin of the Tigers is tackled during training at the Swinburne Centre.  Getty

High-profile fixtures including Geelong v Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs v GWS, West Coast v Richmond and Collingwood v Essendon will be played as stand-alone contests during that time-frame.

The "Showdown" in South Australia was not given the same status and will be played on a Saturday night in round two.

AFL fixtures boss Travis Auld released the schedule for rounds two to five on Monday, starting with the Tigers v Magpies season reopener on June 11.

"To relaunch the season, we have focused on scheduling blockbuster match-ups across these four weeks, particularly in the Thursday and Friday night prime time slots," Auld said.

"As we navigate through the remaining 108 games plus finals, we will continue to be adaptable with our scheduling, ensuring our fixtures align with the relevant state government restrictions in place at the time."

Television broadcasts

Auld announced a new Sunday evening time slot that is likely to remain in play all season as the AFL prioritises television broadcasts and viewership, after taking a huge financial hit during the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be more Thursday night matches in the foreseeable future, as the league does not have to factor in whether fans can attend mid-week fixtures.

Auld was hopeful the government restrictions would be eased to allow crowds to return later in the season. Some reports claim the crowds could gradually be increased towards the October 24 grand final.

The league has yet to settle on a preferred time for the grand final, amid raging debate in football circles over shifting it to be played under lights.

Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium will host double-headers in rounds three and four, and each of the four teams temporarily based in the Queensland hub will host one "home" game there.

Reigning premiers Richmond head north to take on flag rivals West Coast on Thursday night in round five.

As it stands, Adelaide and Port Adelaide will relocate after their Showdown in round two, unless South Australia's quarantine protocols are updated in the meantime.

Auld hopes the Eagles, Fremantle, the Crows and Port will be able to return to their regular home bases after the first block of matches.

"Ideally we get through this four-week block and things progress, and we have the ability at some point for these clubs to go back and play games out of their home states," he said.

"It's just unknown.

"My sense is over the 16 weeks that teams – not just those four teams but other teams – are going to have to make sacrifices and everyone's committed to that."

The next block of fixtures will be released after round three has been played, and clubs are requesting at least two weeks' notice in the schedule to prepare for their future opponents.

AAP