ADELAIDE
Having begun the 2010 season with six straight losses, Adelaide won't be able to use the fixture as an excuse if it makes a similar start to 2011. That's because the Crows play their opening three games at AAMI Stadium, although they will be stretched over four weeks as they have the bye in round two.

Adelaide's round one clash with Hawthorn has been scheduled to mark the 20th anniversary of the club's first official game back in 1991, and supporters will no doubt be hoping for a similar thrashing of the Hawks.

The two showdowns against Port Adelaide are in rounds four (away) and 19 (home).

BRISBANE LIONS
The Brisbane Lions begin their 2011 campaign with a home game against Fremantle at the Gabba. They again have an Easter Thursday night home game, this time against St Kilda.

Two weeks later, in round seven, local pride will be on the line when the Lions take on Gold Coast for the first time. The clash, in which former Lions Jared Brennan and Michael Rischitelli are likely to run out for the Suns, has been scheduled to take place on a Saturday night at the Gabba and will be telecast by Fox Sports.

The two Queensland teams will meet again at the Gabba in round 21.

The Lions have six games in Melbourne, so their Victorian-based members get plenty of chances to see their team in action.

CARLTON
Once again Carlton opens the home and away season by taking on Richmond at the MCG on a Thursday night. Carlton has comfortably won the recent round-one encounters with the Tigers.

Carlton heads north to play Gold Coast in round two, in what will be the Suns' first official game. A week later, the Blues face traditional rival Collingwood in a Friday night blockbuster at the MCG.

For the second year in a row, Brett Ratten's men will play a Monday night game against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. The match will be telecast by Channel 10.

COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood begins its premiership defence by hosting Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium in round one, but the Magpies are not expected to unfurl their flag until round three when they take on Carlton in a Friday night blockbuster at the MCG.

The highlights of Mick Malthouse's last season in charge include the traditional Anzac Day clash with Essendon, two matches against beaten grand finalist St Kilda, two meetings with Geelong and a night game against the Suns at the new Gold Coast Stadium in late July.

Collingwood has 18 games in Victoria, with 14 at the MCG and four at Etihad Stadium. Due to a quirk of the draw, the Magpies' four interstate trips are in the second half of the season.

ESSENDON
James Hird will make his home and away coaching debut in a Sunday afternoon clash against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. A week later, Essendon will travel to Sydney to take on the Swans at ANZ Stadium.

As in previous years, Essendon will be part of the Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG, which in 2011 falls in round five. The Bombers also play in the Dreamtime at the 'G match against Richmond on a Saturday night in round nine.

The Bombers have four home matches at the MCG and all feature Victorian opponents - Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne. They have seven home games at Etihad Stadium, including a big-drawing clash with Geelong in round 15.

FREMANTLE
Aiming to improve on its great season in 2010, Fremantle begins its 2011 campaign with a trip to Brisbane to take on the Lions. A week later, the Dockers host Geelong at Patersons Stadium. Fremantle again has its Len Hall tribute game on Anzac Day, and this time the Western Bulldogs will be its opponent.

The first derby against West Coast is on a Sunday afternoon in round eight, while the second is fixtured for round 18. The Dockers are also expected to draw a big crowd for their round 23 home match against Collingwood.

Fremantle did not play a home and away game at the MCG in 2010, but it will visit the venue three times in 2011 to take on Richmond, Hawthorn and Melbourne.

GEELONG
Another chapter of the rivalry between Geelong and St Kilda will be written in round one of the 2011 home and away season, with the two sides doing battle in the opening Friday night match.

Due to Anzac Day and Easter coinciding, Geelong will meet Hawthorn on Tuesday, April 26, which is the Anzac Day public holiday. To ensure both teams have adequate time to recover from that game, the Cats and Hawks have the bye in round six.

Geelong has seven home matches at Skilled Stadium and all eyes will be on the round-seven clash with North Melbourne, which will be the first regular-season coaching battle between twin brothers Chris and Brad Scott.

GOLD COAST
The Suns get an extra week to prepare for their first official AFL match as they have the bye in round one. The following week they'll host Carlton at the Gabba.

Gold Coast will play three home games at the Gabba - including one against the Brisbane Lions in round seven - while it waits for the rebuilt Carrara Stadium to be completed. The second meeting with the Lions is in round 21.

The Suns' first game at their new home ground will be against Geelong in round 10. It's sure to be a big night, as their star recruit Gary Ablett is expected to line up against his former club for the first time. Ablett will run out on his former home ground of Skilled Stadium later in the season.

HAWTHORN
Hawthorn travels to AAMI Stadium in round one to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Adelaide's first official game. Matches against Melbourne and Richmond at the MCG follow, before Hawthorn does battle with West Coast in its first home game in Tasmania for the season.

Alastair Clarkson's men have nine matches outside Victoria in total, although four of them are home games at Launceston's Aurora Stadium.

Due to Anzac Day and Easter coinciding, Hawthorn will meet Geelong on Tuesday, April 26, which is the Anzac Day public holiday. To ensure both teams have adequate time to recover from that game, the Hawks and Cats have the bye in round six.

MELBOURNE
Melbourne will begin its campaign with a home game against the Sydney Swans at the MCG. The Demons have trips to play Gold Coast at the Gabba in round four and another trek to Perth to play West Coast in round six. But between these two games they have a bye.

As has been the case for a number of years, Melbourne will take on Collingwood on the Queen's Birthday holiday at the MCG. A month later, the Dees head north for a home game against Port Adelaide in Darwin.

Melbourne is fixtured to play in two Friday night games and one on a Thursday night, meaning the club has more free-to-air television exposure than in recent seasons.

NORTH MELBOURNE
North Melbourne heads across to Perth for round one, before returning to Melbourne for a big clash with Collingwood at Etihad Stadium in round two.

There will be plenty of focus on the round seven clash between the Roos and Geelong at Skilled Stadium, which will be the first home and away coaching battle between twin brothers Chris and Brad Scott.

The Kangaroos play eight of their last 10 games in Melbourne and get their turn on the Friday night stage when they host Carlton in round 19.

PORT ADELAIDE
It's a tough start for Matthew Primus in his first season as Port Adelaide's senior coach, with his team travelling to Melbourne to take on reigning premier Collingwood in round one. The Power host West Coast at AAMI Stadium in round two, before heading back to Victoria for a meeting with Geelong at Skilled Stadium.

Port Adelaide has two away games in Darwin, against Richmond and Melbourne, while it has home matches at AAMI Stadium against Collingwood, Carlton and Hawthorn.

The two showdowns against Adelaide are in rounds four (home) and 19 (away).

RICHMOND
Despite copping thrashings on the opening night of the past two seasons, Richmond will again take on Carlton to start 2011. Damien Hardwick's men face some daunting challenges in the following couple of weeks as well. The Tigers meet St Kilda in round two, Hawthorn in round three and Collingwood in round four.

Richmond will certainly clock up plenty of frequent flyer points in 2011. The Tigers are playing a home game in Darwin against Port Adelaide and another one in Cairns against Gold Coast. They've also got away matches in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney.

ST KILDA
With the disappointment of successive grand final losses seared into their collective memory, the Saints will launch their campaign to go one better when they take on Geelong on a Friday night at the MCG in round one.

In round five, St Kilda travels to Brisbane for an Easter Thursday night meeting with the Lions at the Gabba, while the following weekend they're off to AAMI Stadium to play the Crows.

St Kilda will play its grand final opponent Collingwood in rounds 11 and 21, and will also have a return bout against the Cats in round 13.

SYDNEY SWANS
John Longmire's first official game as Sydney Swans coach will be against Melbourne at the MCG on a Sunday afternoon in round one. The Swans have a home game against Essendon at ANZ Stadium the week after, before heading west to meet the Eagles at Patersons Stadium.

As in recent seasons, the Swans have three home games in ANZ Stadium in which they will do battle with the Bombers, Collingwood and St Kilda. They have eight home matches at the SCG, a number of which feature big-drawing Victorian clubs like Hawthorn and Richmond.

In round six, the Swans will host Carlton in their first Friday night home game at the SCG since 2003.

WEST COAST
West Coast will begin its campaign with a home match against North Melbourne at the renamed Patersons Stadium. The Eagles have their first and last home and away games at home due to the fact they travelled for the corresponding matches in 2010.

The first derby against Fremantle will be on a Sunday afternoon in round eight, while the second is in round 18. The first of those clashes is an Eagles home game.

West Coast will host an indigenous-themed game against the Western Bulldogs on the same weekend (round nine) in which the Dreamtime at the 'G match between Richmond and Essendon is held in Melbourne.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
The Western Bulldogs start their season with three games at Etihad Stadium. They'll be aiming to spoil James Hird's debut as coach when they take on the Bombers in a Sunday afternoon game in round one. They then host the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast in successive weeks. The latter of those games will be the Suns' first trip to Melbourne for premiership points.

The Dogs have been granted consecutive Friday night home matches against Melbourne and Carlton in round 15 and 16, which is recognition for their consistently good form in recent seasons.

Once again, the Bulldogs host the Sydney Swans at Manuka Oval in Canberra, but that is their only home game outside Melbourne.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.