AFL: Gold Coast's finals campaign hit by unusual round 24 schedule
The Suns' rescheduled clash with Essendon, which wasn't played in the Opening Round due to the impact of Cyclone Alfred, will be played on the Gold Coast on the Wednesday after the scheduled finish to the regular season.
It will come after the Suns have to travel to Adelaide for a Friday night clash with Port Adelaide and means Gold Coast will prepare for its first finals tilt with a shorter pre-finals break than the other seven finalists.
'While it's unconventional, we're looking forward to rounding out what has already been a historic home-and-away season for the club here at People First Stadium on a Wednesday night,' Suns chief executive Mark Evans said.
While Essendon coach Brad Scott on Tuesday said he was reluctant to send players into the off-season early, his injury-plagued group will need to play two games in six days.
The two matches that are poised to shape the eight will be played on the Sunday, with Western Bulldogs hosting Fremantle and Brisbane welcoming Hawthorn.
The Bulldogs and Dockers could be playing for a spot in the eight, while the Hawks' upcoming fortnight will decide the importance of their bout with the Lions.
The Saturday features a trio of games that won't shape the eight, but the Geelong-Richmond match could determine star Cat Jeremy Cameron's pursuit of 100 goals.
'Round 24 is set to deliver an exciting finish to the home-and-away season, with several matches likely to influence the final eight,' AFL head of strategy and scheduling Josh Bowler said.
'The round will start on Thursday night and finish the following Wednesday to provide the Gold Coast Suns and Essendon sufficient days' break between matches, with their rescheduled Opening Round match being played during round 24 in addition to their respective clashes against Carlton and Port Adelaide.
'To avoid a clash between the Western Bulldogs' round 24 AFL match and their round 2 AFLW match, we have also adjusted the start time of the AFLW match between Richmond and the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, 24 August, and subsequently the AFLW match between Essendon and the West Coast Eagles.
'The revised start times give Bulldogs fans the opportunity to watch both their club's teams play on the same day, and we thank everyone involved in working through these changes.'
AFL ROUND 24
Thursday, August 21
Essendon v Carlton, MCG, 7.30pm
Friday, August 22
Collingwood v Melbourne, MCG, 7.10pm – Port Adelaide v Gold Coast, Adelaide Oval, 8.10pm
Saturday, August 23
North Melbourne v Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, 1.20pm
Richmond v Geelong, MCG, 4.15pm
West Coast v Sydney, Optus Stadium, 7.35pm
Sunday, August 24
GWS v St Kilda, Engie Stadium, 12.20pm
Western Bulldogs v Fremantle, Marvel Stadium, 3.15pm
Brisbane v Hawthorn, Gabba, 7.20pm
Wednesday, August 27
Gold Coast v Essendon, People First Stadium, 7.20pm NewsWire
An 84-year-old man has died three days after he and his wife, 82, were allegedly assaulted by a man known to them at their home near Wagga Wagga. NewsWire
A 'hardworking father' who died at a construction site has been remembered as someone who always put others first.
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