The AFL is pleased to announce the dates and times for Rounds 16 to 23 of the 2024 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, with the final round to remain floating.
A number of teams battling it out for positioning in the top eight feature heavily in a series of blockbuster Friday nights with Essendon (3), Collingwood (3), Melbourne (2) and Sydney (2) all starring in multiple matches.
Essendon and Collingwood fans will be hoping for a result on Friday night in Round 17 as the Anzac Day match that ended in a draw will be replayed at the MCG.
Round 20 will see the QClash take centre stage in the Saturday twilight slot at People First Stadium, while the Western Derby plays out later that evening at Optus Stadium.
Carlton will be looking to cement their spot in the top eight and get one back over traditional rivals Collingwood as the Pies are set to host the Blues at the MCG in Round 21 on Saturday night.
The Sydney Swans will host Collingwood in a Friday night blockbuster at the SCG in Round 22 with the Showdown set for another thrilling match-up in Round 23 on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval.
Thursday night football won't feature in the remaining block of fixtures, having already delivered 14 matches in a row in in the lead-up to the next block – three more Thursday nights than last season.
AFL Head of Broadcast Operations and Scheduling Josh Bowler said the final block of matches was about rewarding performance and scheduling big games for fans.
"It has been a thrilling start to the 2024 season, great footy, big games, big events, setting us up for one of the great seasons on record," Mr Bowler said.
"Fans have turned up in record numbers and we are set up for an electrifying second half of the season.
"We have big competitive match ups in the marquee slots, including a string of blockbuster Friday night games heading into finals.
"Although there are no further Thursday night matches this season, as we transition to new broadcast arrangements in 2025, we will look to continue to build on the growth and success we saw this season having already delivered 14 in a row."
Ticketing on-sale dates and information, including all the details on Kids Go Free month, will be communicated in due course.
The fixture for Round 24 will be announced in the weeks prior to the round to allow for maximising the best timeslots and excitement for fans as teams contend for finals spots.
Nine rounds of Premiership matches have been complete with 3,171,539 fans attending so far, including three rounds of attendance of over 400,000 – the first time this has ever happened.
