The MCG is set to host two AFL men’s games on the same day for the fourth time in VFL/AFL history. 7NEWS understands a Round 23 double-header has been locked in for Saturday, August 15, the penultimate weekend of the season.
Though the exact timings are still to be determined, Essendon v Sydney and Richmond v St Kilda are slated to be the two matches that day at the MCG. One will be in the early afternoon, and the other at night.
Sunday match and fixture reshuffle
Hawthorn v Collingwood is expected to be on the Sunday afternoon of August 16, also at the MCG and live and free on Channel 7. The move follows the AFL’s decision to leave Thursday, August 13 free of men’s football.
Instead, Melbourne and Hawthorn will play an AFLW fixture on that evening, giving the women’s competition a night of clear air. It means the league has to squeeze nine games into three days, including the three at the MCG.
Other Round 23 matches
Fremantle will host Adelaide in Perth on Friday, August 14. The other Round 23 games are: Brisbane v Gold Coast, GWS v West Coast, North Melbourne v Geelong, Western Bulldogs v Carlton, and Port Adelaide v Melbourne.
While the league has scheduled double-headers at Marvel Stadium this year, they haven’t done so at the MCG since Round 16 in 2021. COVID meant that Melbourne faced GWS in game one, while Fremantle’s clash against Carlton was moved from Perth to the MCG and staged at night.
Historical context
Previously, the only other men’s double-headers at the MCG were back in 1986. One took place in Round 5, and the other in Round 19. The AFL will release the full Round 23 and Round 24 fixtures on Wednesday.
