BLOCKBUSTER FIXTURES SET FOR THE RETURN OF AFL:

Tigers against new AFL draw

AFL:

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

Victorian heavyweights Richmond and Collingwood will kick off the stalled season on Thursday, June 11 and each play three times in featured timeslots over the opening four weeks of the restart.

The first week of the rebooted campaign includes Geelong hosting bitter rivals Hawthorn under lights on the Friday and a Showdown in Adelaide the following evening.

Also on the Saturday, Queensland hub-bound West Coast and Fremantle will take on Gold Coast and Brisbane respectively, and Round 1 losers Carlton and Melbourne lock horns. The Sunday has clashes between GWS and North Melbourne, Sydney and Essendon, and St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs.

AFL fixtures boss Travis Auld released a schedule yesterday for Rounds 2-5.

“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.”

Auld unveiled a new Sunday evening timeslot – likely to remain in play all season – and said it was expected there would be more Thursday night matches with the league not having to factor in whether fans can attend the games.

Auld said he is hopeful restrictions will be eased to allow crowds to return later in the season, with reports suggesting crowds could gradually be ramped up towards the October 24 grand final.