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Hawthorn Hawks handed prime slots in AFL's 2025 fixture alongside Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon

Shayne Hope

AAP

4 Min Read

14 Nov 2024

The AFL champion Brisbane Lions will play the Gold Coast Suns in the Sunshine State derby in round eight next year. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Hawthorn have been rewarded for their stunning surge to the AFL finals this year with a suite of primetime fixtures in 2025.

Dubbed the ‘Hollywood Hawks’ last season, Sam Mitchell’s entertainers will play seven games on Thursday and Friday nights through the opening 16 weeks next year.

The Hawks, who start their campaign in ‘Opening Round’ for the first time, also feature in a blockbuster Sunday night fixture against Port Adelaide to end Gather Round and the traditional standalone Easter Monday clash with Geelong.

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It is a far cry from last season, when Hawthorn did not have a single Thursday or Friday night fixture during the home-and-away campaign.

“Our 2025 fixture is one that rewards our loyal members and fans and puts our club back in the spotlight with a great balance of blockbuster, primetime matches, as well as family-friendly timeslots,” Hawthorn chief executive Ash Klein said.

“Given the hype and excitement generated by our 2024 Hawks, it is fitting that we welcome a well-deserved nine games under lights across the first 15 weeks of the season, giving the brown and gold faithful the chance to taste the ecstasy of night footy once again.”

Victorian heavyweights Carlton and Collingwood have also been handed seven matches in Thursday and Friday slots in 2025, while Essendon (eight) are the only club with more.

The Bombers’ and Magpies’ tallies include an afternoon slot for their traditional Anzac Day clash, which falls on a Friday next year.

At the other end of the scale, 2024 preliminary finalists Port Adelaide have been given only one Thursday or Friday game - the same number as West Coast and Gold Coast - while GWS have none.

The Power-Hawks clash in Gather Round is one of a series of marquee Sunday night matches the AFL hopes will help drive record attendances and television audiences in 2025.

The new slot is a product of the league’s new $4.5 billion broadcast deal, which starts next year.

A handful of the Sunday night games will be broadcast free-to-air, while the league is seeking to take advantage of public holidays around many of those fixtures.

The Western Bulldogs play St Kilda on Easter Sunday, while Carlton and Essendon meet in their annual night game before the King’s Birthday holiday.

The first Queensland derby of the season - the Brisbane Lions taking on Gold Coast in round eight - falls before the local Labour Day holiday.

West Coast will host Geelong in round 12, the night before WA Day.

The Eagles and Fremantle will host five of the nine games which will be broadcast in Sunday night slots on the east coast, including a derby at 3.10pm local time in round three.

Confirmation of the Sunday night matches comes on top of Thursday night football becoming a regular part of the fixture, set to feature in 23 home-and-away rounds next year.

AFL fixtures boss Josh Bowler hopes the marquee matches will help drive another record-breaking year of attendances after more than eight million fans went through the gates last season.

“We are thrilled to announce a fixture that will build on this, while also being the fairest possible draw for all of our clubs as they look to chase the premiership flag,” Bowler said.

“We are pleased to offer fans more Thursday nights than ever this season with 23 matches set to be played across the season.

“Sunday nights proved to be very popular last season and we have a number of marquee matches slated for this time slot, including Gather Round, Easter Sunday, Queensland Labour Day Eve, WA Day Eve and King’s Birthday Eve.

“These matches, along with other big match ups fixtured for key dates in the country’s calendar have become part of the holiday celebrations for fans to mark in their diaries and plan trips with friends and family around.”

Reigning premiers Brisbane will unfurl their flag at the season opener against Geelong at the Gabba on March 6, before tackling beaten grand final foe Sydney the following week.

Sir Doug Nicholls Round will feature the annual ‘Dreamtime at the G’ fixture between Essendon and Richmond as a standalone fixture on a Friday night in round 11.

The following day, Marvel Stadium will host a rare double-header with Carlton-GWS (1.20pm) and North Melbourne-Collingwood (7.35pm) matches.

The Bulldogs, Hawthorn and North will all celebrate the 100-year anniversaries of their entry into the competition, then known as the VFL, with marquee matches in rounds two, eight and 20 respectively.

The schedule for the first 16 weeks of the season has been locked in, with timeslots for games in rounds 16-23 to be confirmed about four weeks out.

Timeslots for round 24 will be finalised much closer to that week as the league attempts to set up another grandstand finish to the home-and-away season.