Gather Round 2026: Fremantle Dockers set for Friday night blockbuster clash against Collingwood

Chris Robinson

The West Australian

2 Min Read

4 hours ago

Updated

4 hours ago

Luke Jackson and Darcy Cameron doing battle last season. Credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Fremantle will be thrust into the Gather Round spotlight next season, with the Dockers locked into a Friday night marquee slot for a blockbuster showdown against Collingwood.

It comes as West Coast get set for an off-Broadway clash at Norwood Oval against Geelong as the AFL confirmed the fixture for next year’s Round 5 slate in South Australia.

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Adelaide and Port Adelaide will unsurprisingly book-end the week, with the Crows to host Carlton on Thursday April 9 and the Power to play St Kilda on the Sunday night.

Freo have earned a call-up to the primetime stage after belting lowly Richmond in the Barossa Valley in last season’s Gather Round.

The Dockers’ clash with the Magpies represents the sole match-up between two clubs that registered a top-eight finish in 2025, and comes amid the clubs playing out a series of thrilling games against one another over the past two seasons.

Fremantle produced an epic one-point comeback win against Collingwood at the MCG earlier this year, while the Pies scored a gutsy 14-point triumph at Optus Stadium in the previous 2025 match-up.

The teams played out a thrilling draw on a Friday night stage in Perth the year prior.

The fixture represents a rare chance for a Friday night road clash for the Dockers. The club has played in the marquee slot away from home just three times in the past decade, including last season’s ugly thrashing at the hands of St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.

West Coast have lost six consecutive games against the Cats, including a 47-point loss in a match-up between the sides at Adelaide Oval during the first Gather Round in 2023.

The Eagles and Cats will square off in Adelaide. Credit: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos

The Eagles haven’t beaten Geelong away from WA since 2006.

Gather Round tickets go on sale for members on December 4, with general public tickets available the following day.

The fixture latest comes amid the news that both Fremantle and West Coast will hit the road to play their round one matches interstate, continuing a rough trend for the Dockers as the AFL’s hardest done-by club when it comes to season openers.

Freo have played just one season opener in WA since Justin Longmuir’s first season in charge in 2020 - the fewest of any club in their home state.

Both WA clubs are unable to play at Optus Stadium due to the venue hosting a Women’s Asian Cup soccer semifinal just days after the weekend of round one.

The full AFL fixture will be released on Thursday.