Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Daniel Rioli at the coin toss of the round 13 clash between Essendon and Richmond at TIO Stadium in Darwin on August 22, 2020. Picture: Getty Images

THE AFL has revealed the fixture for an extended Sir Doug Nicholls Round (R11-12), with an absolute firecracker to launch round 11 between the two hottest teams in the competition.

Flag fancies the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne will collide at Marvel Stadium in a Dogs' home game on Friday, May 28, for the SDNR opener.

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And the following Friday night, all eyes will be on the Northern Territory for the start of round 12 when Melbourne and Brisbane take off the gloves at Traeger Park in Alice Springs.

It will be the first time Alice Springs has hosted a game on a Friday night; and the AFL continues its stance on fixture 'rewards' for good form with the white-hot Demons featuring in consecutive Friday games.

>> SEE THE FULL R11-12 FIXTURES BELOW

Gold Coast and Hawthorn will play at Darwin's TIO Stadium on the Saturday night of round 11, while the traditional 'Dreamtime at the 'G' contest between Richmond and Essendon will return to the MCG (after last year's absence) for a Saturday night primetime slot in round 12.

SDNR will be held across both weekends to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with the theme Our Legacy. This is us. Syd Jackson has been carried over as the round's honouree due to his inability to attend the Dreamtime game in 2020 because of COVID travel restrictions.

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Round 12 is also the beginning of the rolling bye, with six games being played and six teams getting a week off.

ROUND 11

Friday, May 28
Western Bulldogs v Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday, May 29
Collingwood v Geelong, MCG, 1.45pm AEST
Brisbane v Greater Western Sydney, Gabba, 2.10pm AEST
St Kilda v North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 4.35pm AEST
Gold Coast v Hawthorn, TIO Stadium, 7.10pm ACST
West Coast v Essendon, Optus Stadium, 5.40pm AWST

Sunday, May 30
Richmond v Adelaide, MCG, 1.10pm AEST
Sydney v Carlton, SCG, 3.20pm AEST
Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval, 4.10pm ACST

ROUND 12

Friday, June 4
Melbourne v Brisbane, TIO Traeger Park, 7.20pm ACST

Saturday, June 5
St Kilda v Sydney, Marvel Stadium, 1.45pm AEST
Adelaide v Collingwood, Adelaide Oval, 4.05pm ACST
Essendon v Richmond, MCG, 7.25pm AEST

Sunday, June 6
Carlton v West Coast, MCG, 3.20pm AEST
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs, Optus Stadium, 4.40pm AWST  

Byes: Geelong, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide

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