CARLTON is out of the primetime slots and Collingwood will host a rare home game at Marvel Stadium against Brisbane in the penultimate round after the AFL confirmed its fixture for rounds 16 to 23.
The Blues have been front and centre for Thursday night (three times) and Friday night (twice) games early in the year but, after their patchy start to 2023, have just one marquee slot in the final third of the season – a round 20 blockbuster against arch rival Collingwood.
R16-23 FIXTURE Check out the updated schedule here
The Western Bulldogs are also set for more national visibility while Richmond, the Lions and Magpies will also play regularly on the big stage.
The AFL has locked in Friday night's round 23 match between Collingwood and Brisbane at Marvel, saying it hoped to see a packed house between the two premiership fancies.
The Tigers and Sydney both have two extra Thursday night fixtures, with that timeslot seeing its last action in round 18.
In all there will be 11 Thursday night games by season's end, one more than in 2022.
The Bulldogs have been rewarded for their excellent recent form, earning one Thursday night game and two Friday nights after stringing together four straight wins to sit sixth on the ladder.
Collingwood has four new Friday night games confirmed, with bumper crowds expected against not only the Lions and Blues, but also Geelong in round 22.
Saturday in round 19 shapes as an absolute ripper, with Brisbane hosting Geelong in the twilight timeslot, leading straight into Yartapuulti hosting the Magpies at Adelaide Oval that night.
The AFL has scheduled expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney into Saturday timeslots in most instances to drive local attendance habits.
AFL executive general manager finance, clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld said the League was seeking to capitalise on a huge start to the season.
"After record-breaking crowds and viewership numbers in the first nine rounds, we're set to launch into the back half of the season and into the 2023 Toyota AFL Finals Series," Auld said.
"We've listened to fans and fixtured an additional three Thursday night games, taking us to 11 for the year – one more than 2022.
"The season is wide open, with a dozen teams vying for a spot in September."
Round 24 is still a floating fixture, with timeslots to be locked about a month from the end of the season.
