And one of the lucky recipients is last year’s preliminary finalists and perennial contenders Geelong, who play the Tigers in round 17 and 24, giving their finals chances a late-season boost. However, the Cats also play last year’s premiers, the Brisbane Lions, as well as the Giants, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, and Essendon twice – meaning they will still need to be excellent to make the eight. North Melbourne, Essendon, West Coast, Gold Coast and St Kilda are the other teams playing the Tigers twice.

The Bombers always attract a crowd and a story, and that’s why the AFL keeps putting them in prime time. They will have three Friday night games and four Thursday night matches as well as Anzac Day regularly putting them under the brightest spotlight.

Fremantle and West Coast received a boost when North Melbourne sold two home games to the state for $2.5 million, giving those clubs a chance to sleep at home for a month in the middle of the season. The Dockers also play an evening match against Adelaide on Anzac Day.

Carlton have a great draw if you like Thursday and Friday nights. Seven of their first 10 matches will be played on those days, though the Good Friday match against North Melbourne will begin at 3.20pm. Starting the season with matches against Richmond, West Coast and the Kangaroos in their first six rounds is handy. They also have double-ups against Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon, West Coast and North Melbourne, which gives them a leg up as they aim to qualify in the top four.

The losers

Melbourne’s ordinary 2024 season has cost them. Their only Friday night game in 2025 will be away against Geelong in round four, giving star midfielder Clayton Oliver another chance to check out Sleepy Hollow.

Their only other big fixtures are the annual events – Anzac eve against Richmond and King’s Birthday against Collingwood.

Opening round is a good concept for northern-based teams, but not so great for the Victorian teams drafted to play them. Collingwood will have to back up again next year alongside opening round debutants Hawthorn, Essendon and Geelong.

Carlton, who are not involved this season, were the only Victorian team who played in opening round last season to make finals. Melbourne, the Magpies and Richmond all missed.

It’s a long bow to say it affected finals, but the program of those playing in opening round is as about as normal as the one mapped out for Cox Plate runner Pride Of Jenni this season. The shortest break the Cats have between games from the opening round to Easter Monday is seven days, giving their new head of fitness a bit of thinking to do.

The Giants will play two matches at Engie Stadium between opening round and round four, but will not return to their home venue until round 10. The club’s only visit to the MCG will be against Melbourne in round one.

What the fixture means for fans

Thursday nights will be spent on the couch watching the games all season, so if you think your home is saturated with football already, it’s not great news. If you love the football, as many do, then it’s great to have free-to-air footy on Thursday nights.

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However, if your team is playing regularly on Thursday nights and you prefer to go to games, life is tougher, particularly if you have children, a demanding job – or both.

Those with Foxtel or Kayo subscriptions are winners because coverage of Saturday games will be exclusive to subscribers nationally for the first eight rounds with matches shown on delay on Channel Seven, which is the likely explanation for the Showdown being played in round nine.

In Victoria, “Super Saturdays” are exclusive to Foxtel for every round of the home-and-away season. Seven will broadcast delayed telecasts. The holdbacks, as they are called, will be two hours after the match begins or 8.40pm local time, depending on which is earliest.

The response from supporters will be interesting early, as Essendon, Collingwood, St Kilda, Geelong and Hawthorn all play Saturday night games in the first month.

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Double-ups and road trips

The 2024 premiers play Geelong, the Giants, the Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Hawthorn and Collingwood twice, meaning they have not been missed as they attempt to go back-to-back after winning the flag from outside the top four last season.

North Melbourne will be on the road six times between rounds 13 (when they play a home game against West Coast in Bunbury) and the end of the season. The young Roos will need to have all their reserves to remain competitive over that period.

Collingwood have a tough draw after missing the finals, with double-up matches against the Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn, Carlton, Fremantle, Melbourne and the Crows.

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