2012 AFL fixture released
Oct 28, 2011
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host 47 matches in the 2012 AFL home and away season, starting with a match between Richmond and Carlton on Thursday March 29.
View the schedule of matches below in several formats:
2012 AFL fixture - MCG matches (PDF format)
2012 AFL fixture - all matches (PDF)
2012 AFL fixture - all matches (AFL website)
All up, the 2012 home and away season will feature 198 matches, 11 more than last season.
The season will be played over 23 rounds, with shortened six-game rounds in weeks 11, 12 and 13 allowing each club to have a mid-season bye over a three-week period.
MCG tenant clubs Collingwood and Hawthorn face a stern test to maintain their high 2011 rankings.
In a reflection of their strong 2011 performances and crowd-pulling ability, clashes between the Magpies, Hawks and premiers Geelong feature heavily in the blockbuster-laden fixture.
Collingwood, beaten Grand Finalists this year, will face five of 2011's top eight clubs twice in 2012 - the only team to do so.
Hawthorn, which finished third this year but was unable to beat either Collingwood or Geelong in five attempts, kicks off 2012 with blockbuster clashes against those two clubs.
Alastair Clarkson's men face the Magpies on Friday night in Round 1 and the Cats on Easter Monday in Round 2, in what will be an immediate test of their premiership credentials in front of huge MCG crowds.
The Hawks will play four 2011 top-eight teams twice: both Grand Finalists, West Coast and the Sydney Swans.
Several established marquee matches at the MCG have been retained:
- Collingwood playing Essendon on Anzac Day.
- Melbourne taking on the Magpies on Queen's Birthday Monday.
- Essendon and Richmond clashing in the 'Dreamtime at the 'G' match in Round 8.
Once again the dates for the final round of matches have yet to be decided, leaving Round 23 as a "floating" fixture. They'll be determined later in the season with a view to giving top eight clubs the longest possible break ahead of their first final.