THE START times of two games on Anzac Day have been changed due to Tasmanian government legislation.
Hawthorn's match against Gold Coast at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, which was originally scheduled to start at 12.15pm AEST, has been moved back 15 minutes to a 12.30pm AEST start time.
This is because of Tasmania's Anzac Day Observance Act 1929, which prevents any sporting events in the state on Anzac Day from starting before 12.30pm.
Subsequently, the match between Essendon and Collingwood at the MCG, which was originally scheduled to start at 3.15pm AEST, will now begin at 3.20pm AEST to minimise overlap with the Hawks v Suns game.
In a statement, the AFL said its Head of Scheduling, Josh Bowler, "thanked clubs, broadcast partner Foxtel, Channel 7, UTAS Stadium and the MCG for collaboratively working together on a solution".
There have been four previous Anzac Day matches in Tasmania, including games in 2022 and 2021 that both started at 12.30pm AEST.