TRADITIONAL rivals Carlton and Essendon are eyeing the King's Birthday eve timeslot as the next significant primetime fixture on the AFL's calendar, with the two powerhouse clubs hoping to replicate the recent success of the Anzac Day eve game.
The Blues and the Bombers will next month play on the Sunday night before the King's Birthday holiday, with a commitment from both clubs to continue building the match into a regular long-term fixture on the AFL's schedule.
It comes after the recent success of Richmond and Melbourne's blockbuster Anzac Eve contest, which drew a bumper crowd of 83,985 people this year and has averaged in excess of 70,000 supporters since its inception in 2015.
It's understood both Carlton and Essendon see significant potential and upside in the King's Birthday Eve timeslot and hope this season's contest becomes year one of a long-term project to make it into the AFL's next blockbuster occasion.
It's also hoped the clash with reignite the decades-long rivalry between the two clubs. Last year's fixture, a Friday night game to celebrate Essendon's 150th birthday, was just the second primetime fixture played between the two sides since 2013.
Instead, nine of the last 12 games between Carlton and Essendon have either been played on Saturday or Sunday afternoons with one on a Friday night, one on a Saturday night and a game in 2014 played on a Sunday evening.
Both clubs already have a long list of marquee games, with the Blues an annual fixture in the League's season-opener and a recent opponent on Good Friday. Meanwhile, the Bombers take part in Anzac Day, Dreamtime at the 'G and the Country Game.
This year's King's Birthday Eve fixture, which will lead into Collingwood's clash with Melbourne on King's Birthday – now renowned as the 'Big Freeze' game in honour of Neale Daniher's Fight MND charity – will begin at 7.10pm AEST.
