AFL puts faith in box office Pies, Bombers for 2019
Related Story: AFL brings out the big guns to shake up prime-time Easter fixtures
The AFL has rewarded Collingwood for its rapid rise up the ladder in 2018 by making it one of the headline acts of the 2019 fixture.
The Pies will play nine games on Thursday or Friday night in 2019, the traditional Anzac Day blockbuster on a Thursday afternoon and Queen's Birthday clash on a Monday, taking its number of marquee games up to 11.
Collingwood's rise from 13th to the grand final this year was somewhat of a surprise, but the league seems to be banking on a similar jump from Essendon, which has also been rewarded with a primetime-heavy fixture.
The Bombers have seven games on Thursday or Friday nights, on top of the Anzac Day match on a Thursday afternoon.
It is a choice that seems a direct reaction to the criticism the AFL received in 2018 for a draw that placed a number of struggling teams in highly sought-after positions.
Reigning premier West Coast will play three Friday night games in 2019 — up from one in 2018 — and one on a Thursday, while Richmond and Sydney will both feature prominently in headline spots.
It is not all good news for the Demons and Tigers though, with a brutal three-day break awaiting the teams before the now-annual Anzac Day eve clash in round six.
The AFL had already revealed the season would be opened by Carlton and Richmond once again, with an enhanced Easter weekend featuring a Good Friday double-header that will see North Melbourne play Essendon and West Coast host Port Adelaide.
But that season opener is the only big game Carlton will feature in next year, after a year in which the wooden-spooners played four Friday night games.
See the full fixture below.
External Link: 2019 AFL fixture
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