Greater Western Sydney will begin their path into AFL competition with a match-up against powerhouse Collingwood in the opening round of a new-look NAB Cup in 2012.
The AFL has kept the same format as this year with six divisions of three teams apiece for Round 1, but has also fixtured all matches for Rounds 2 and 3.
See full fixture below.
Each team will play two shortened matches in their week one pool and two full-scale matches in the following two weeks with all games counting for four points.
Clubs will be ranked in a 'mini ladder' and the two best performed teams will face off in the NAB Cup Grand Final on Saturday March 17, while the other 16 teams will play in practice matches across that weekend.
AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said input from the clubs wanting to know where they were playing ahead of time was the key reason for the change, while the amendment also allows regional venues time to adequately prepare and promote games in their area.
"It's been in discussion (with the clubs) for the last few years ... the travel loads and management of players as the game's got faster and harder has been an agenda for some time," he said on Wednesday morning.
"I think we had a mature discussion and realised if they were able to have some certainty in that pre-season and be able to manage their older players and they could see where they were going to travel and work out a schedule to do that, that would help alleviate some of the concerns they had."
"I think the certainty and clarity will help our supporters."
McLachlan also backed the longevity of the competition.
"I think the NAB Cup is an outstanding fixture and I'm very confident that this is here to say," he said.
"All clubs, all competitions need to have pre-season competition to prepare their players so when you can have a formalised competition like the NAB Cup it gives these guys the pre-season competition they need playing in AFL venues in front of significant crowds."
"The clubs will then be able to push their brands around Australia and promote their clubs I think it's an outstanding success and I'm always bemused when people talk up the NAB Cup in anything other than that."
"It's an outstanding success and I don't think it's going anywhere."
The highlight of the opening week sees new team GWS take on the Magpies and Western Bulldogs at Blacktown on Saturday night, while Hawthorn, Richmond and North Melbourne play the first matches the night before.
"Obviously Collingwood have a huge promotional value and I think everyone can see it's part of why they'd be up there and also the Giants are in the big league now and probably better playing Collingwood first up than in the middle of the year," McLachlan said.
"The expectations of the public are going to be pretty clear, they are young - there's some experienced bodies there - and I think everyone will look forward to seeing how they go against the grand finalists of the last two years."
McLachlan also said the AFL is in the process of reviewing the trial rules for the NAB Cup with some radical ideas put forward including 24 points for a check-side goal outside 50.
The home-and-away fixture will be announced on Friday with McLachlan saying 'about 50 percent' of the leaks so far have been correct.
ROUND ONE
Friday, 17 February
Hawthorn v Richmond v North Melbourne (ES) n
Saturday, 18 February
GWS v Collingwood v Western Bulldogs (Blacktown) n
Sunday, 19 February
West Coast v Fremantle v Essendon (PS)
Friday, 24 February
Geelong v St Kilda v Sydney (ES) n
Saturday, 25 February
Gold Coast v Brisbane Lions v Melbourne (MS) n
Sunday, 26 February
Adelaide v Port Adelaide v Carlton (AS)
ROUND TWO
Friday, 2 March
Gold Coast v Geelong (MS) n
Saturday, 3 March
Sydney v North Melbourne (Bruce Purser)
Hawthorn v GWS Giants (Au)
West Coast v Port Adelaide (Mandurah)
Essendon v St Kilda (Wangaratta) n
Collingwood v Melbourne (ES) n
Adelaide v Brisbane Lions (Alice Springs) n
Sunday, 4 March
Western Bulldogs v Carlton (ES)
Fremantle v Richmond (PS)
ROUND THREE
Friday, 9 March
Essendon v Sydney (ES) n
Adelaide v Collingwood (AS) n
Saturday, 10 March
GWS Giants v Gold Coast (Albury – Lavington)
Geelong v Richmond (SS)
Port Adelaide v Fremantle (Victor Harbour – TBC)
Brisbane Lions v Carlton (TBC)
Melbourne v Hawthorn (ES)
West Coast v St Kilda (PS)
Sunday, 11 March
North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs (North Ballarat)
GRAND FINAL
Saturday, 17 March
Venue TBC