New AFL season opener set for 2024

GREATER Western Sydney is set to open the 2024 AFL season against Collingwood, with the Giants awaiting final confirmation from head office.

GWS CEO Dave Matthews confirmed the news to SEN on Thursday afternoon, with the league looking to break further into the Sydney market under Andrew Dillon’s leadership.

AFL Media revealed earlier this week that the Giants could face Collingwood on Saturday night, with Sydney to play the following day against Melbourne.

The following week would see the other seven games of the opening round played.

When asked if GWS was opening the season next year against Collingwood Matthews responded, “That’s certainly the plan.

“It’s still to be locked away by the AFL over the next few weeks but for several years we’ve talked about the merits in starting the competition earlier in Sydney, particularly when the NRL gets underway earlier.

“If we could get a week ahead of what is seen to be the Melbourne opening, Richmond and Carlton, and we could get a couple of standalone fixtures up here in terms of the Swans being at home and us being at home, I think it would be great.

“Clearly we’ve got a great rivalry, I reckon, with Collingwood… with Sydney Swans and the tension between the Bulldogs and the Giants is well established.

“But a lot of these finals battles that we’ve had with Collingwood really would be something to showcase in round one.”

The Giants have faced Collingwood three times in finals history, with the Magpies leading two to one.

Matthews added the game would be played at Giants Stadium.

The 2023 AFL season opened on 16 March with the customary Richmond-Carlton clash, two weeks after Melbourne Storm and the Eels kicked off the NRL season on 2 March.

Dillon told SEN in April, the day he was appointed CEO-elect, that Sydney would be a focus area for him and his team.

“NSW is an important growth market for us,” he said.

“I’m not sure whether it’s a review, but what I am going to do is go up to Sydney and sit down with [Sydney president] Andrew Pridham and [Sydney CEO] Tom Harley and [GWS CEO] Dave Matthew and [former GWS president] Tony Shepherd and also our team at AFL NSW and just make sure that the investment that we’re putting in there now is doing the best it can.”

– SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN