New AFL fixture gives Bulldogs chance to shine
The Bulldogs, who sit sixth after nine rounds, have been rewarded for their impressive start to the year in the fixture for rounds 16-23, which was released by the AFL on Thursday.
Luke Beveridge's side have been dealt two Thursday and three Friday night matches across the eight rounds.
Carlton, Essendon and GWS - all firmly in the finals mix at this stage - each have four fixtures in the marquee slots.
Brisbane, Collingwood and Hawthorn have three each, while Melbourne and Richmond are the only clubs who have none.
There are three Friday night double-headers scheduled across the eight weeks; in rounds 17, 20 and 23.
"This back end of the season fixture is aimed at maximising momentum into the finals which is shaping up to be one of the tightest races in recent history," AFL scheduling boss Josh Bowler said.
"We are excited to schedule a number of Friday night double headers aimed at maximising prime-time audience whilst also managing team travel and breaks between games."
Thursday night football will be played every week across the eight rounds except for round 23, with August 14 left alone as clear air for the AFLW season opener.
Round 20 is littered with derbies as all non-Victorian clubs face off against their local rivals, starting with Sydney's Giants-Swans clash on a Friday night.
The schedule for round 24 will not be confirmed until later in the year.
One of the Bulldogs' Thursday night fixtures is North Melbourne's AFL/VFL centenary match at Marvel Stadium in round 17.
The celebration was originally scheduled for round 20 - when the Kangaroos host their first-ever VFL opponents Geelong - but was moved to allow it to be a standalone fixture.
The Bulldogs-Adelaide fixture in round 18 has been moved from Ballarat's Mars Stadium to the league-owned Marvel Stadium to allow for a bigger attendance.
Ongoing construction works at Mars Stadium have lowered the venue's capacity to about half the usual 11,000.
Only 4814 fans were inside the ground to see the Bulldogs' 90-point thrashing of Port Adelaide earlier this month.
Another Bulldogs match will be moved to Mars Stadium once the redevelopment is complete.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Courier-Mail
11 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Simon Goodwin speaks out on sole reason for ‘shock' sacking
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Premiership coach Simon Goodwin has opened up on his exit from the Melbourne Football Club for the first time since last Tuesday's shock announcement to sack him after nine years at the helm. While the Demons' struggles in season 2025 were well-documented up until his departure, the board's decision to axe the 2021 flag winner took the vast majority of people by surprise. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Goodwin, who is one of just four people to ever lead the Demons to a V/AFL flag, spoke to Fox Footy's AFL 360 eight days on from his departure at Melbourne. 'It was a shock, there's no doubt about that. I was disappointed that they'd come to that decision — but you accept that position,' Goodwin began. 'Do I 100% think that I was the right person to carry this team forward? Yes, because I've done it before ... but that's the decision the board made, and I accept that decision. 'They need a new voice, they want a new voice, and they're going to get one.' Simon Goodwin was sacked with three rounds to go in the season. Picture: David Geraghty When probed by hosts Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon as to whether there was any other rationale for his sacking beyond the club's 'need' for a new voice, Goodwin responded: 'I had a standard board meeting the week before, and didn't have an inkling at that point. But as I said, I'm sure the board went through a thorough process.' 'That was the (only) reason I got; that they needed a new voice.' The two-time Adelaide premiership player had a decorated career across his 275-game career, and has now spent well over a decade as a coach in the AFL system — making him a prime target for all clubs looking ahead to 2026. Seven's Mitch Cleary revealed on Wednesday evening that GWS have reached out to Goodwin in regards to a role next year. Speaking on any future plans in the industry, Goodwin noted he right now feels open to anything. Goodwin on Giants link & next adventure Video Player is loading. Play Video This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Learn More X Loaded : 14.01% 0:00 00:00 / 00:00 Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. 01:10 SUBSCRIBER ONLY Goodwin on Giants link & next adventure more more Giants this week. AFL: Simon Goodwin responds to rumours that he has spoken to the Greater Western Sydney...... ... more 'I've spent some time up in Sydney, and I'm going to catch up with a whole range of different people,' Goodwin continued. 'I'm open-minded to doing any thing in football. I love the game, I love coaching. I want to get away, have a spell ... (but) coaching's never complete, you want to get better. And I know with the experience and everything that's I've gone through, with some PD (personal development), I'll come back even better.' Melbourne's off-field imperfections before Goodwin's departure are well-documented, leaving the 48-year-old with an extra layer of difficulty when trying to maintain the club's success year-on-year. It includes report last October that some board members and those within the club's corporate circle held concerns over former chief executive Gary Pert and his handling of a player's trade negotiation — as well as separate worries over the management of superstars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. GWS head coach Adam Kingsley and Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin. Goodwin agreed when questioned as to whether his tenure while coaching without a CEO led to a level os misalignment at the club. 'I think clearly. Clearly, you need alignment for success. You look around the great sporting organisations around the world in business and sport, alignment is critical. It's critical because it builds trust, and you can make some really great decisions that you need to moving forward,' Goodwin said. 'There's certainly been challenges, and things that all football clubs need to work on — and Melbourne's no different. But if you walk through the doors at training at Casey Fields with those players, the environment's healthy, alive and well ... and that's the biggest part of your program to get right. 'For the next coach, I think it's set-up incredibly well. I'd be incredibly excited by the group that they've got available to them.' Originally published as Simon Goodwin speaks out on sole reason for 'shock' sacking
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
Simon Goodwin speaks out on sole reason for ‘shock' sacking
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Premiership coach Simon Goodwin has opened up on his exit from the Melbourne Football Club for the first time since last Tuesday's shock announcement to sack him after nine years at the helm. While the Demons' struggles in season 2025 were well-documented up until his departure, the board's decision to axe the 2021 flag winner took the vast majority of people by surprise. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Goodwin, who is one of just four people to ever lead the Demons to a V/AFL flag, spoke to Fox Footy's AFL 360 eight days on from his departure at Melbourne. 'It was a shock, there's no doubt about that. I was disappointed that they'd come to that decision — but you accept that position,' Goodwin began. 'Do I 100% think that I was the right person to carry this team forward? Yes, because I've done it before ... but that's the decision the board made, and I accept that decision. 'They need a new voice, they want a new voice, and they're going to get one.' Simon Goodwin was sacked with three rounds to go in the season. Picture: David Geraghty When probed by hosts Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon as to whether there was any other rationale for his sacking beyond the club's 'need' for a new voice, Goodwin responded: 'I had a standard board meeting the week before, and didn't have an inkling at that point. But as I said, I'm sure the board went through a thorough process.' 'That was the (only) reason I got; that they needed a new voice.' The two-time Adelaide premiership player had a decorated career across his 275-game career, and has now spent well over a decade as a coach in the AFL system — making him a prime target for all clubs looking ahead to 2026. Seven's Mitch Cleary revealed on Wednesday evening that GWS have reached out to Goodwin in regards to a role next year. Speaking on any future plans in the industry, Goodwin noted he right now feels open to anything. 'I've spent some time up in Sydney, and I'm going to catch up with a whole range of different people,' Goodwin continued. 'I'm open-minded to doing any thing in football. I love the game, I love coaching. I want to get away, have a spell ... (but) coaching's never complete, you want to get better. And I know with the experience and everything that's I've gone through, with some PD (personal development), I'll come back even better.' Melbourne's off-field imperfections before Goodwin's departure are well-documented, leaving the 48-year-old with an extra layer of difficulty when trying to maintain the club's success year-on-year. It includes report last October that some board members and those within the club's corporate circle held concerns over former chief executive Gary Pert and his handling of a player's trade negotiation — as well as separate worries over the management of superstars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. GWS head coach Adam Kingsley and Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin. Goodwin agreed when questioned as to whether his tenure while coaching without a CEO led to a level os misalignment at the club. 'I think clearly. Clearly, you need alignment for success. You look around the great sporting organisations around the world in business and sport, alignment is critical. It's critical because it builds trust, and you can make some really great decisions that you need to moving forward,' Goodwin said. 'There's certainly been challenges, and things that all football clubs need to work on — and Melbourne's no different. But if you walk through the doors at training at Casey Fields with those players, the environment's healthy, alive and well ... and that's the biggest part of your program to get right. 'For the next coach, I think it's set-up incredibly well. I'd be incredibly excited by the group that they've got available to them.' Originally published as Simon Goodwin speaks out on sole reason for 'shock' sacking
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Simon Goodwin speaks out on sole reason for ‘shock' sacking
Premiership coach Simon Goodwin has opened up on his exit from the Melbourne Football Club for the first time since last Tuesday's shock announcement to sack him after nine years at the helm. While the Demons' struggles in season 2025 were well-documented up until his departure, the board's decision to axe the 2021 flag winner took the vast majority of people by surprise. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Goodwin, who is one of just four people to ever lead the Demons to a V/AFL flag, spoke to Fox Footy's AFL 360 eight days on from his departure at Melbourne. 'It was a shock, there's no doubt about that. I was disappointed that they'd come to that decision — but you accept that position,' Goodwin began. 'Do I 100% think that I was the right person to carry this team forward? Yes, because I've done it before ... but that's the decision the board made, and I accept that decision. 'They need a new voice, they want a new voice, and they're going to get one.' When probed by hosts Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon as to whether there was any other rationale for his sacking beyond the club's 'need' for a new voice, Goodwin responded: 'I had a standard board meeting the week before, and didn't have an inkling at that point. But as I said, I'm sure the board went through a thorough process.' 'That was the (only) reason I got; that they needed a new voice.' The two-time Adelaide premiership player had a decorated career across his 275-game career, and has now spent well over a decade as a coach in the AFL system — making him a prime target for all clubs looking ahead to 2026. Seven's Mitch Cleary revealed on Wednesday evening that GWS have reached out to Goodwin in regards to a role next year. Speaking on any future plans in the industry, Goodwin noted he right now feels open to anything. 'I've spent some time up in Sydney, and I'm going to catch up with a whole range of different people,' Goodwin continued. 'I'm open-minded to doing any thing in football. I love the game, I love coaching. I want to get away, have a spell ... (but) coaching's never complete, you want to get better. And I know with the experience and everything that's I've gone through, with some PD (personal development), I'll come back even better.' Melbourne's off-field imperfections before Goodwin's departure are well-documented, leaving the 48-year-old with an extra layer of difficulty when trying to maintain the club's success year-on-year. It includes  report last October that some board members and those within the club's corporate circle held concerns over former chief executive Gary Pert and his handling of a player's trade negotiation — as well as separate worries over the management of superstars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. Goodwin agreed when questioned as to whether his tenure while coaching without a CEO led to a level os misalignment at the club. 'I think clearly. Clearly, you need alignment for success. You look around the great sporting organisations around the world in business and sport, alignment is critical. It's critical because it builds trust, and you can make some really great decisions that you need to moving forward,' Goodwin said. 'There's certainly been challenges, and things that all football clubs need to work on — and Melbourne's no different. But if you walk through the doors at training at Casey Fields with those players, the environment's healthy, alive and well ... and that's the biggest part of your program to get right. 'For the next coach, I think it's set-up incredibly well. I'd be incredibly excited by the group that they've got available to them.'
