THE AFL is set to discuss with clubs the best way to handle the first Wednesday Anzac Day match in six years in 2018.

It will be the fourth time this century that Essendon and Collingwood will face off on a Wednesday, behind 2012, 2007 and 2001.

Melbourne and Richmond also played on a Wednesday night in 2000.

The Bombers and Pies had four-day breaks in the first of those two meetings and five days in the most recent one, which became somewhat infamous for its role in the Essendon supplements saga.

But, on each of those occasions, the short break led into Anzac Day, whereas next year's match will be at the end of the round and the break will be afterwards – creating a new dynamic.

The Demons and the Tigers have established a successful Anzac Day Eve contest over the past three years, so one option the AFL will consider is a combination of the four teams playing each other on the following Sunday, April 29, while another could be a Monday night fixture on April 30.

But the AFL fixture is a complex beast with many priorities, requests and necessities, as AFL spokesman Patrick Keane explained this year in reaction to Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley's criticism.

"The Anzac Day match, when it falls mid-week, requires Essendon and Collingwood to play a match where they will have one long break and one short break," Keane said.

"The clubs know there will be years where the break length will impact them, but have sought to retain the fixture, understanding these issues.

"Once the clubs have determined they want to play the mid-week fixture, then we work as best we can to try and make the breaks as even as possible, knowing they will never be even for a Tuesday or Wednesday game, with the opponent they are up against.

"In this case, we matched Collingwood against a side who had played the previous Sunday – not against either Richmond or Melbourne – as Collingwood v Melbourne is played on the Queen's Birthday, while Collingwood v Richmond has usually been scheduled early in the season, before Anzac Day, to provide a big event match early in the season for those clubs."

The Monday night might work best for the Magpies to lessen their disadvantage if the same scenario unfolds, where playing Richmond or Melbourne is not possible because of other matches between the clubs.

But equally pertinent in the aftermath of the Anzac Day blockbuster will be the weeks following, which is why a Monday match may not be desirable. The lure of potentially having a seven-day break the week after could see Collingwood and Essendon push for a Sunday game post-Anzac Day.

However it unfolds, it won't be a straightforward decision.