The Gold Coast Suns’ bid for their maiden finals appearance could go down to the last Wednesday in August.
The AFL has released its round 24 fixture, including the postponed game between the Suns and Essendon that was unable to be played in Opening Round due to Cyclone Alfred.
That extra game will now be played during what is a pre-finals bye week for the other top eight sides, scheduled for a 7:20pm bounce at Carrara Stadium on Wednesday August 27.
The Suns are one of a number of sides battling for the final spots in the top eight, and there is every chance that match will determine their fate.
Essendon and Gold Coast’s round 24 games against Carlton and Port Adelaide will be played on Thursday night and Friday night respectively.
Two other crucial round 24 games have been scheduled for the last Sunday of the home-and-away season.
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The Western Bulldogs play Fremantle at Docklands at 3:15pm on August 24, while Brisbane hosts Hawthorn at the Gabba at 7:20pm that night.
The results of those two games are also likely to have a massive say in the final make-up of the top eight.
“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 and 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 two 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.”
AFL Round 24Essendon vs Carlton at MCG — Thursday, Aug 21 from 7:30pm*Collingwood vs Melbourne at MCG — Friday, Aug 22 at 7:10pmPort Adelaide vs Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval — Friday, Aug 22 at 8:10pmNorth Melbourne vs Adelaide at Docklands — Saturday, Aug 23: at 1:20pmRichmond vs Geelong at MCG — Saturday, Aug 23 at 4:15pmWest Coast vs Sydney at Perth Stadium — Saturday, Aug 23 at 7:35pmGWS vs St Kilda at Sydney Showgrounds — Sunday, Aug 24 at 12:20pmWestern Bulldogs vs Fremantle at Docklands — Sunday, Aug 24 at 3:15pmBrisbane vs Hawthorn at the Gabba — Sunday, Aug 24 at 7:20pmGold Coast vs Essendon at Carrara — Wednesday, August 27 at 7:20pm
* All times AEST