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SUNS & AFL DRAW FOR 2021
BRISBANE will hunt a fifthstraight QClash victory over Gold Coast when the clubs meet in Round 9 of next year’s AFL season at Metricon Stadium.
The Suns showed steady improvement in Stuart Dew’s third season at the helm, but Chris Fagan’s Lions are premiership contenders and remain the state’s top dog.
They will also play in Round 20, with an exact date yet to be revealed for either game within the AFL’s rolling fixture announced yesterday.
Only the first six rounds were laid out in full.
The AFL has scheduled Gold Coast for three games in Queensland in the first six rounds.
Those clashes include Metricon Stadium dates with North Melbourne (Round 2), Carlton (Round 4) and Sydney (Round 6).
The Round 2 clash against North Melbourne will be a AFL/AFLW double-header.
The Kangaroos and Blues contests will be held in the Saturday night timeslot, with Suns CEO Mark Evans pleased with the “prime time” opportunities.
“The AFL is backing us with some great spots in the fixture and we can’t wait to play to big TV and live audiences – it’s a serious show of support towards what we are building,” Evans said.
“Our Round 9 QClash with the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium will be another highlight and is a chance to celebrate footy in Queensland after this state helped save the AFL season.”
Gold Coast’s other three opponents in the opening sixround block are West Coast (Optus Stadium), Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and Bulldogs (Marvel Stadium).
Brisbane chief executive Greg Swann liked what he saw, off the back of the Lions’ first preliminary final appearance in more than a decade.
They start at the Gabba against Sydney Swans under lights on Saturday, March 21 and will play there twice more by Round 5.
Brisbane also hosts star recruit Joe Daniher’s old side Essendon there in Round 5 – again on a Saturday night – while an Easter Thursday showdown with Collingwood is an early fixture highlight in Round 3.
“We’ve got a great home fixture, but also return to Victoria for seven games next year,” Swann said. “We’re really excited to get back playing in front of our Victorian fans.
“Then off the back of so much football being played in Queensland in 2020, we really hoped that there would be some exciting matches up here for 2021 and this fixture has delivered.”
Grand finalists Geelong will provide a litmus test in a Friday night match at GMHBA Stadium in Round 2.
AFL clubs and broadcasting boss Travis Auld said the new approach to the fixtures – releasing details in blocks – was brought on by the ongoing challenges of the COVID pandemic.
“Scheduling the fixture in blocks provides an added level of flexibility to adjust where required, and as our recent season demonstrated, our clubs and industry have the resilience and open-mindness to adapt where needed to keep footy going for the fans,” Auld said.
“The storylines for season 2021 will be constructed across the course of the year, and we are excited to see how the players and clubs will shape the first six chapters of that story.”