THE AFL is pleased to confirm the dates and times for Round 24 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The final round of the home and away season will kick off on Thursday, 21 August, and run through to Wednesday, 27 August, to accommodate Essendon and the Gold Coast SUNS playing two matches after their Opening Round clash in March was postponed due to severe weather in Queensland.
Essendon will open the round on Thursday night against long-standing rivals Carlton at the MCG.
A double header on Friday night will see Collingwood face Melbourne at the MCG as the Pies eye off a potential top two finish, while Port Adelaide will play the Gold Coast SUNS at Adelaide Oval.
Saturday begins with North Melbourne taking on current ladder leaders, the Adelaide Crows, at Marvel Stadium, before Richmond hosts Geelong across town at the MCG and the West Coast Eagles play the Sydney Swans across the country at Optus Stadium.
All three of Sunday’s matches have the potential to shape the final eight, starting with the GWS Giants and St Kilda at ENGIE Stadium.
The Western Bulldogs and fellow finals contenders Fremantle will face off at Marvel Stadium, while reigning premiers, the Brisbane Lions, will host Hawthorn under the lights at the Gabba in a Sunday night blockbuster, with the Hawks also challenging for a spot in finals.
The rescheduled match between the Gold Coast SUNS and Essendon at People First Stadium will be played on Wednesday night to round out the home and away season, with the SUNS vying for their first-ever finals berth.
Following the confirmation of the dates and times for Round 24, a time change has also been made for two matches in Round 2 of the 2025 NAB AFLW Season.
The match between Richmond and the Western Bulldogs at Ikon Park on Sunday, 24 August, is now scheduled for 12.35pm, while Essendon will host the West Coast Eagles at Windy Hill on the same day at the new start time of 2.35pm.
The time changes are in line with the Flexible Fixture Framework introduced for AFLW matches this year to ensure fans can support both their club’s teams during the crossover between the men’s and women’s seasons.
“Round 24 is set to deliver an exciting finish to the home and away season, with several matches likely to influence the final eight,” AFL Head of Strategy & Scheduling Josh Bowler said.
“The round will start on Thursday night and finish the following Wednesday to provide the Gold Coast SUNS and Essendon sufficient days’ break between matches, with their rescheduled Opening Round match being played during Round 24, in addition to their respective clashes against Carlton and Port Adelaide.
“To avoid a clash between the Western Bulldogs’ Round 24 AFL match and their Round 2 AFLW match, we have also adjusted the start time of the AFLW match between Richmond and the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, 24 August, and subsequently the AFLW match between Essendon and the West Coast Eagles.
“The revised start times give Bulldogs fans the opportunity to watch both their club’s teams play on the same day, and we thank everyone involved in working through these changes.”
ROUND 24 FIXTURE
Thursday, August 21
Essendon v Carlton, MCG, 7.30pm AEST
Friday, August 22
Collingwood v Melbourne, MCG, 7.10pm AEST
Port Adelaide v Gold Coast, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACST
Saturday, August 23
North Melbourne v Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, 1.20pm AEST
Richmond v Geelong, MCG, 4.15pm AEST
West Coast v Sydney, Optus Stadium, 5.35pm AWST
Sunday, August 24
GWS v St Kilda, Engie Stadium, 12.20pm AEST
Western Bulldogs v Fremantle, Marvel Stadium, 3.15pm AEST
Brisbane v Hawthorn, Gabba, 7.20pm AEST
Wednesday, August 27
Gold Coast v Essendon, People First Stadium, 7.20pm AEST
