The Floater: What will the AFL's Round 23 look like?

Luke Hodge
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Here’s what we reckon it could look like:

Friday August 29
Collingwood v Hawthorn, MCG, 7.50pm

Saturday August 30
North Melbourne v Melbourne, Etihad Stadium 1.40pm
Geelong v Brisbane, Simonds Stadium, 2.10pm
Fremantle v Port Adelaide, Patersons Stadium 4.40 pm (2.40pm AWST)
Carlton v Essendon, MCG, 7.40pm
Sydney v Richmond, ANZ Stadium, 7.40m

Sunday August 31
Gold Coast v West Coast, Metricon Stadium, 1.10pm
Adelaide v St Kilda, Adelaide Oval, 3.20pm
Western Bulldogs v GWS, Etihad Stadium, 4.40pm

Collingwood’s clash with Hawthorn is almost certain to be the Friday night game. It doesn’t really get any bigger than this, with Hawthorn potentially needing to win to make the top two and Collingwood possibly needing victory just to make the eight for a ninth consecutive season.

Having Collingwood play Hawthorn on the Friday night, won’t be super popular with Sydney, though. 

The Swans will more than likely be minor premiers and want the best preparation possible - meaning the longest break - ahead of a qualifying final the week after. This would be especially important if Sydney are scheduled to play the following Friday night in the first week of finals. 

The solution then would be to play Sydney’s final-round clash with Richmond at ANZ Stadium on Friday night as well. But with the AFL reluctant to have two Friday night clashes, especially ones being played concurrently, we think the Swans’ game may is more likely to take place on the Saturday night as AFL matches at the Olympic venue are usually night affairs. Sydney will moan and groan but we think that’s how the league will swing it.

Although the AFL will want to give side’s the longest rest possible, the league’s main priority will be to deliver a thrilling climax to what’s been a tough season. They can’t quite do an English Premier League-style finale but they can still squeeze every last bit of drama out of Round 23. 

And, to do this they’ll probably kick off a massive Saturday by playing North Melbourne’s game against Melbourne at 1.40pm at Etihad Stadium.

Both North and Geelong could be battling for fourth or fifth, so the Cats’ clash with Brisbane will probably then start at 2.10 pm down the highway at Simonds Stadium, meaning coaches and fans will be feverishly checking the other game’s scores during in a bid to see what’s going on.

To make things more dramatic, the league will then start Fremantle’s clash with Port Adelaide at 4.40pm (AEST) over in Perth.

When this match starts, neither side will be aware of Geelong’s result, giving this game a real edge as Port Adelaide could also be vying with the Cats and North for fourth or fifth while there’s a chance the Dockers may also be competing with Geelong for second, third or fourth place.

Whatever happens, no one wants to finish fourth and take on the Swans in Sydney so this game could have plenty of drama, especially in the early stages as the Cats’ result won’t be known until quarter-time in Perth.

All of that flows nicely into Saturday night. We’ve already mentioned how the Swans clash should be on at 7.40pm and we believe the other game that night will be Carlton’s clash with Essendon, to be played at the MCG.

After the previous results, Essendon may need to win, either to make the eight or earn a home final, giving this clash a real edge, especially as traditional rivals Carlton will be looking to do everything in their power to thwart their old foes and finish the year on a high. Essendon for their part, will be more than aware Carlton benefitted from the Bombers being booted out of the finals last year.

With all that happening, Sunday may be something of an anti-climax, despite Gold Coast and Adelaide still being in the hunt for finals.

Both teams look likely to be vying for eighth on the ladder, so the Suns clash with West Coast could kick-start Sunday at 1.10pm.

This would beef up the drama as that game wouldn’t be finished when Adelaide started their clash with St Kilda, with that result potentially earning the Crows a spot in the eight and maybe even a blockbuster fifth-versus-eighth elimination final against Showdown rival Port the week after. Could you imagine the AFL licking their chops at the prospect!

To finish off Sunday, the league would then schedule the Western Bulldogs and GWS – two exciting young teams out of the finals race – to conclude the regular season in an Etihad Stadium clash that’s sure to be about the most non-defensive game of the season.

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