Blues, Tigers lose right to open round one, as AFL chooses not to wait for Hawks, Lions rematch

Blues, Tigers lose right to kick-off round one

Zoey Duchene

The AFL’s ill-fated Opening Round experiment will be scrapped and the traditional round one opener between Carlton and Richmond will be pushed back, with perennial finalists Sydney and Geelong to open the 2027 season.

After releasing the schedule for Gather Round (round four) on Monday, the AFL continued it’s drip-feed fixture reveal on Tuesday, with a program of games that looks a little different than past years.

The early highlight looks to be the Friday-night blockbuster MCG clash between reigning three-time champions the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn; a rematch of their thrilling preliminary final last month, lauded by many as one of the best AFL games seen in years.

For the past 13 years, Richmond and Carlton were given the responsibility of kicking off round one, although that honour was somewhat diluted by the advent of Opening Round from 2024 to 2026.

Designed to promote the sport in Sydney and Brisbane, Opening Round was not a full round of matches, but featured games for full points played before round one.

With Opening Round scrapped after a three-year experiment, round one returns to a standard nine-game format, but Carlton and Richmond find their prominence reduced, recognition perhaps that both clubs have started recent seasons sluggishly.

They will have to settle for a particularly early (12.35pm) Saturday afternoon timeslot instead as part of an MCG double-header, with St Kilda playing Collingwood at the same venue that night.

Sydney and Geelong will be the teams to kick-off the season on Wednesday March 17, with the Swans hosting at the SCG.

“We have listened to feedback and are pleased to be able to deliver a round one for all our 18 clubs and fans as we bring back a traditional nine-game opening weekend across the country,” AFL cheif executive Andrew Dillon said.

Three weeks later Zak Butters will be bracing a fiery reception when he returns to Adelaide to play against the Power for the first time when the Western Bulldogs help draw a curtain on next year’s Gather Round.

The clash between Port Adelaide and Butters’ new club is the ninth game of the Gather Round fixture released by the AFL on Monday, and even has South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas – an avid Power fan – fired up.

Revered at the Power after three best and fairest awards and three All-Australian guernseys from 156 games, Butters officially became a Bulldog earlier this month, signing the richest contract in AFL history.

He stands to earn at least $17 million over the next nine years after crossing to the Dogs as a restricted free agent, aided by a complex side deal that convinced Port not to match the deal.

Raised near Bacchus Marsh as a Bulldogs supporter, Butters’ future was the subject of conjecture throughout the 2026 season, with the Dogs pipping Geelong for his coveted signature.

It’s not yet clear, how Port’s passionate fan base will respond to Butters, but the AFL have capitalised on the appeal of his clash with his former teammates by making it a marquee match of Gather Round.

It is one of three blockbuster games the league has scheduled at the Adelaide Oval to underpin the South Australian-based round - round four of the 2027 season.

The festivities will open on Thursday April 8, with the Crows seeking revenge for their semi-final loss in 2026 to the Brisbane Lions, and close four days later with Butters facing his former side.

In between, the league has scheduled a humdinger of a Saturday-night match between leading premiership fancies Fremantle and Hawthorn.

There are two other games scheduled at the Adelaide Oval across the weekend – Sydney v Collingwood on the Friday night and an early Saturday game between Carlton and Melbourne, who met in a wildcard final in 2026.

Gold Coast, GWS, Geelong and St Kilda are the four teams heading to the Barossa for their Gather Round games, while Richmond, West Coast, Essendon and North Melbourne are bound for Norwood Oval.

Malinauskas – an avid Power fan – was quick to spruik the Gather Round program, which coincides with the Easter school holidays, and the inclusion of a players’ parade on the Friday.

“The blockbuster weekend of footy will be boosted with the inaugural Players Parade on Friday, allowing fans to see their heroes from all 18 clubs in one spot,” he said. “Personally, I’m looking forward to being at a packed Adelaide Oval to see Zak Butters take on his former teammates.”

Gawn applauds ‘brutal’ Melbourne list calls

Jon Pierik

Melbourne captain Max Gawn has applauded the club’s “brutal” list-management calls which led to the departure of favourite son Jack Viney, but hopes he can finish his career as a one-club player.

Gawn is off contract in 2027, but at 34 is still playing some of the best football of his career, which he attributes, in part, to his punishing off-season cycling regime.

The 2021 premiership skipper won All-Australian selection for the ninth time in 2026, and is keen to remain a Demon for life when contract discussions open. However, he understands the business of football, having watched his fellow premiership on-ball brigade of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Viney, along with key defender Steven May, depart over the past two seasons.

“I’m pretty keen in Melbourne. I understand ‘Vines’ would have said the same thing 12 months ago. So, I’ve just applauded ‘Lamby’ [list boss Tim Lamb] and King [coach Steven King], and if I’m the one that has to move on next year, and I still think there’s footy ahead of me, then that conversation will come, but right now, it does look like my finish will be with the Demons,” Gawn said on Monday.

However, speaking as an ambassador at the launch of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Gawn hinted he would be open to offers, should negotiations with the Demons not go as planned, and if new club Tasmania came calling.

“I mean, my phone’s always open,” Gawn said.

“I mean, I’m keen to jump in the commentary box with ‘Kino’ [SBS commentator Matt Keenan] and commentate the Tour de France at some point as well. So if SBS want to jump into my phone … but, no, I’m pretty keen to finish up in Melbourne.”

Viney, 32, managed only one game this season because of Achilles and back injuries, and struggled when recalled for the wildcard final against Carlton, the Demons losing by 19 points. He was given the option to explore opportunities elsewhere, or face the possibility of long spells in the VFL.

Viney and fellow Demon Trent Rivers were traded to West Coast on the final day of the trade period.

“I applaud the list management team; they’ve made some brutal decisions,” Gawn said.

“None more brutal than probably Jack this year, but you’ve seen with what we’re able to do this year, with most people tipping us [to finish] bottom four, and we come out and play some pretty good footy.”

Gawn said he was delighted that Essendon and the Eagles showed interest in Viney, his former co-captain.

“I went from a little bit of surprise [at his departure], and then I went a little bit of other clubs were making him feel generally loved,” Gawn said.

“And now, he’s like, once it got to a point where West Coast were interested, he’s like: ‘I want to get there so bad, I want to rejuvenate my career, I want to take my family over there’. So I’m really excited for him.”

Gawn said the Demons had needed a substantial make-over, having seen how quickly Geelong transformed, even after winning the 2022 premiership. Only nine Demons players now remain from the 2021 premiership team.

“I sat there and looked at that [2022 Geelong] team, I was like, OK, and then they play in the grand final three years later, and they had 10 or 15 new players in that team. And, at the same time, Melbourne was still running the round with the ’21 premiership team,” Gawn said.

“It’s like, well, we haven’t changed or adapted or moved on. We’re still trying to win it again with the ’21 premiership team, and Geelong, at that very same time, had changed over 15 players. It’s like, OK, this is what’s needed in a way to stay in the modern game.”

A cycling enthusiast who now has his own podcast on the sport, Gawn’s pre-season training program has so far included “Everesting” South Australia’s exhausting Willunga Hill, riding the 3.7km climb 39.5 times in 21 hours, and another punishing ride on the island of Phuket in Thailand. He will soon head to Patagonia, at the southern end of South America, to ride in the wilderness. This program will also include running.

Solomon gets Gold Coast gig

After coaching Essendon through the second half of 2026, Dean Solomon will return to Gold Coast as an assistant coach to Damien Hardwick.

Solomon, now 46, was on the coaching staff at the Suns from the club’s inception in the AFL in 2011 to 2020, even serving three games as interim coach following the departure of Rodney Eade in 2017.

Solomon later joined the board at Essendon – the club where he made his name as a player and was part of the 2000 premiership team – but relinquished that position a year ago to return to a hands-on coaching role.

He started the 2026 season as an assistant to Brad Scott, and became the club’s stop-gap coach when Scott was sacked mid-season. Despite holding some ambition to become the senior coach permanently, Solomon’s hopes were dented by a record of just one win from his 12 games in charge.

After hiring Solomon’s former teammate Mark McVeigh as senior coach for 2027, Essendon announced last month that Solomon had declined their offer of another role in the football department and would return to live in NSW with his wife and children.

On Monday, the Suns spruiked Solomon’s recruitment as a homecoming.

“Dean played a significant role across our club’s first decade in the competition, and his expertise and industry experience will be instrumental in helping us take steps forward in the years ahead,” Gold Coast’s general manager of football Craig Cameron said.

Solomon said the Suns job aligned with his family circumstances .

“The opportunity to return to the Gold Coast Suns to work alongside and learn from Damien Hardwick and an experienced group of coaches is one I’m really excited by,” Solomon said.

“The potential of the list that has been assembled is incredibly inviting and I see it as an exciting time to be part of the Suns.

“The Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales has been home for my family and I for over 16 years now, so to be able to be with my wife and kids again and still coach at the highest level at a club where I’ve previously spent 10 years, is something I’m very grateful for.”

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