Essendon and Richmond will play a second Dreamtime match in both 2027 and 2028, taking their rivalry to Optus Stadium in Perth as the clubs cash in on the game’s success at the MCG.
The clubs will alternate hosting a home match in WA, with Essendon to be the “home” team in 2027 and Richmond in 2028, while maintaining the Dreamtime at the ’G – which was first played in 2005.
The match was a huge success when the two teams played each other at Optus Stadium in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, with 55,656 fans attending.
The spectacle was memorable as the local community embraced the match played to acknowledge the contribution of First Nations people to Australian rules and to also honour Australia’s Indigenous culture.
The match at the MCG will be played during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, while the match in Perth is expected to be played during NAIDOC week.
The Age confirmed the fixture had been locked in for the next two seasons, with an official announcement likely on Wednesday as the annual dripfeed of the fixture continues to unfold, with Gather Round and round one already made public.
The Tigers are scheduled to face Carlton on Saturday afternoon at the MCG in round one, rather than in their traditional Thursday night timeslot, while Essendon will take on Melbourne, rather than Hawthorn, in the season-opening round. They’d hoped to make a first-up clash with the Hawks an annual event.
Essendon and Richmond were disappointing in 2026, finishing last and second last respectively, but they both have added high-end talent to their lists in recent seasons.
New Bombers coach Mark McVeigh played in the first Dreamtime at the ’G match, in which the Tigers prevailed by 26 points.
Optus Stadium has been chasing additional AFL fixtures, with the league holding a State of Origin match between Victoria and Western Australia in February last season at the venue. North Melbourne have also sold two home matches to Western Australia, with one played at Optus Stadium each season.
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