Unofficial · AI-generated · not affiliated with the AFL or any club

Fixture explained

The 2027 modelled fixture, “Realism: prime time spread fairly · Thursday-start calendar”, walked through in the order a new fixture is usually revealed. Every number here is counted from what this version records. Games are named by their slot band (“Friday night”, “Saturday twilight”); kick-off clocks are modelled and shown smaller.

About this version · Every round · The wall: every club, every round

1. Headline games

The season opens with Thursday night: Brisbane Lions v Adelaide at Gabba, Thu 18 Mar. 7:30 pm · modelled

How many of the 207 games land in each slot band:

Monday twilight

Thursday night

Friday twilight

Friday night

Saturday day

Saturday twilight

Saturday night

Sunday day

Sunday twilight

Sunday night

2. Round 1

Home side first, in blue; away side in red.

Round 1 · 9 games

Thursday nightBrisbane Lions (home) v Adelaide (away)Gabba · Thu 18 Mar · 7:30 pm · modelled
Friday nightCollingwood (home) v Carlton (away)M.C.G. · Fri 19 Mar · 7:40 pm · modelled
Saturday dayEssendon (home) v Fremantle (away)M.C.G. · Sat 20 Mar · 1:15 pm · modelled
Saturday twilightGreater Western Sydney (home) v North Melbourne (away)Manuka Oval · Sat 20 Mar · 4:15 pm · modelled
Saturday nightWestern Bulldogs (home) v Sydney (away)Docklands · Sat 20 Mar · 7:35 pm · modelled
Saturday nightGeelong (home) v Port Adelaide (away)Kardinia Park · Sat 20 Mar · 7:45 pm · modelled
Sunday dayWest Coast (home) v Richmond (away)Perth Stadium · Sun 21 Mar · 2:10 pm · modelled
Sunday twilightSt Kilda (home) v Gold Coast (away)Docklands · Sun 21 Mar · 3:15 pm · modelled
Sunday twilightMelbourne (home) v Hawthorn (away)M.C.G. · Sun 21 Mar · 3:15 pm · modelled

3. Prime time, club by club

Prime time here means Thursday night and Friday night games.

Most: Adelaide and Geelong (13 each). Fewest: Melbourne and North Melbourne (0 each).

Thursday & Friday Night Games

13Adelaide, Geelong
12Brisbane Lions, Fremantle
11Collingwood, Sydney
10–
9–
8–
7Carlton, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs
6–
5Greater Western Sydney
4St Kilda
3Gold Coast, Port Adelaide
2Richmond
1Essendon, West Coast
0Melbourne, North Melbourne

See every prime-time game

4. Who each club plays twice

Each club meets some opponents a second time. They are grouped by where those opponents finished on the 2026 ladder (the finals-reseeded ladder): top 6, middle 6, bottom 6. Clubs are listed in ladder order.

Double Match Ups

Ladder	Club	Plays twice (rounds beneath)
1	Brisbane Lions	Fremantle · Top 6R6, R18 Sydney · Top 6R12, R24 Geelong · Top 6R5, R17 St Kilda · Middle 6R11, R23 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R8, R20 Richmond · Bottom 6R9, R21
2	Fremantle	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R6, R18 Sydney · Top 6R10, R22 Melbourne · Middle 6R11, R23 Collingwood · Middle 6R4, R16 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R8, R24 West Coast · Bottom 6R3, R21
3	Sydney	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R12, R24 Fremantle · Top 6R10, R22 Hawthorn · Top 6R3, R17 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R2, R14 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R6, R18 Essendon · Bottom 6R8, R23
4	Hawthorn	Sydney · Top 6R3, R17 Geelong · Top 6R2, R14 Adelaide · Top 6R9, R21 Carlton · Middle 6R11, R23 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R12, R24 West Coast · Bottom 6R7, R22
5	Geelong	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R5, R17 Hawthorn · Top 6R2, R14 Adelaide · Top 6R6, R18 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R11, R23 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R1, R24 Essendon · Bottom 6R3, R15
6	Adelaide	Hawthorn · Top 6R9, R21 Geelong · Top 6R6, R18 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R12, R24 Carlton · Middle 6R3, R15 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R10, R22 Richmond · Bottom 6R11, R23
7	Western Bulldogs	Geelong · Top 6R11, R23 Adelaide · Top 6R12, R24 Carlton · Middle 6R9, R21 Melbourne · Middle 6R5, R17 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R3, R15 West Coast · Bottom 6R4, R16
8	Carlton	Hawthorn · Top 6R11, R23 Adelaide · Top 6R3, R15 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R9, R21 Melbourne · Middle 6R10, R22 Collingwood · Middle 6R1, R14 Richmond · Bottom 6R12, R24
9	Melbourne	Fremantle · Top 6R11, R23 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R5, R17 Carlton · Middle 6R10, R22 Collingwood · Middle 6R13, R24 St Kilda · Middle 6R2, R18 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R9, R21
10	Collingwood	Fremantle · Top 6R4, R16 Carlton · Middle 6R1, R14 Melbourne · Middle 6R13, R24 St Kilda · Middle 6R10, R22 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R5, R17 Essendon · Bottom 6R6, R18
11	St Kilda	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R11, R23 Melbourne · Middle 6R2, R18 Collingwood · Middle 6R10, R22 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R4, R24 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R1, R14 Essendon · Bottom 6R7, R21
12	Greater Western Sydney	Sydney · Top 6R2, R14 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R3, R15 Collingwood · Middle 6R5, R17 St Kilda · Middle 6R4, R24 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R10, R22 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R1, R23
13	Gold Coast	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R8, R20 Hawthorn · Top 6R12, R24 St Kilda · Middle 6R1, R14 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R10, R22 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R4, R21 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R6, R23
14	North Melbourne	Fremantle · Top 6R8, R24 Sydney · Top 6R6, R18 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R1, R23 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R4, R21 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R3, R16 Richmond · Bottom 6R5, R20
15	Port Adelaide	Geelong · Top 6R1, R24 Adelaide · Top 6R10, R22 Melbourne · Middle 6R9, R21 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R6, R23 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R3, R16 West Coast · Bottom 6R2, R15
16	West Coast	Fremantle · Top 6R3, R21 Hawthorn · Top 6R7, R22 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R4, R16 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R2, R15 Richmond · Bottom 6R1, R13 Essendon · Bottom 6R12, R24
17	Richmond	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R9, R21 Adelaide · Top 6R11, R23 Carlton · Middle 6R12, R24 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R5, R20 West Coast · Bottom 6R1, R13 Essendon · Bottom 6R10, R22
18	Essendon	Sydney · Top 6R8, R23 Geelong · Top 6R3, R15 Collingwood · Middle 6R6, R18 St Kilda · Middle 6R7, R21 West Coast · Bottom 6R12, R24 Richmond · Bottom 6R10, R22

Who each club plays twice

Club	Top 6	Middle 6	Bottom 6
Brisbane Lions	Fremantle, Sydney, Geelong	St Kilda	Gold Coast, Richmond
Fremantle	Brisbane Lions, Sydney	Melbourne, Collingwood	North Melbourne, West Coast
Sydney	Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Hawthorn	Greater Western Sydney	North Melbourne, Essendon
Hawthorn	Sydney, Geelong, Adelaide	Carlton	Gold Coast, West Coast
Geelong	Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn, Adelaide	Western Bulldogs	Port Adelaide, Essendon
Adelaide	Hawthorn, Geelong	Western Bulldogs, Carlton	Port Adelaide, Richmond
Western Bulldogs	Geelong, Adelaide	Carlton, Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney	West Coast
Carlton	Hawthorn, Adelaide	Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Collingwood	Richmond
Melbourne	Fremantle	Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Collingwood, St Kilda	Port Adelaide
Collingwood	Fremantle	Carlton, Melbourne, St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney	Essendon
St Kilda	Brisbane Lions	Melbourne, Collingwood, Greater Western Sydney	Gold Coast, Essendon
Greater Western Sydney	Sydney	Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, St Kilda	Gold Coast, North Melbourne
Gold Coast	Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn	St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney	North Melbourne, Port Adelaide
North Melbourne	Fremantle, Sydney	Greater Western Sydney	Gold Coast, Port Adelaide, Richmond
Port Adelaide	Geelong, Adelaide	Melbourne	Gold Coast, North Melbourne, West Coast
West Coast	Fremantle, Hawthorn	Western Bulldogs	Port Adelaide, Richmond, Essendon
Richmond	Brisbane Lions, Adelaide	Carlton	North Melbourne, West Coast, Essendon
Essendon	Sydney, Geelong	Collingwood, St Kilda	West Coast, Richmond

Who plays whom twice, drawn

5. Byes by round

Round 12 · Byes: Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, St Kilda
Round 13 · Byes: Greater Western Sydney, Western Bulldogs
Round 14 · Byes: Essendon, Port Adelaide, Richmond, West Coast
Round 15 · Byes: Collingwood, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Sydney
Round 16 · Byes: Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Gold Coast

6. Breaks between games

Across the season there are 12 games a club plays after a break of five days or fewer. Most: Collingwood, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs (2).

Days break

▲ 5 or fewer days◆ 6 days7+ daysblank: bye or first game

Days since each club's previous game, by round. ▲ marks 5 days or fewer, ◆ marks 6 days.
Round	ADE	BRL	CAR	COL	ESS	FRE	GEE	GCS	GWS	HAW	MEL	NTH	PTA	RIC	STK	SYD	WCE	WBD
1	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game
2	7	9	7	◆6	7	7	9	◆6	◆6	8	◆6	◆6	8	7	◆6	◆6	7	8
3	7	◆6	◆6	8	8	◆6	◆6	7	8	◆6	7	8	◆6	◆6	7	9	▲5	◆6
4	10	8	9	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	8	7	7	7	◆6	7	9	8
5	◆6	◆6	7	7	◆6	9	◆6	7	◆6	7	7	8	7	8	8	7	7	7
6	◆6	◆6	◆6	10	8	▲5	7	7	8	8	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	8	◆6	7	7
7	8	9	◆6	▲5	◆6	7	7	7	8	◆6	8	8	8	8	◆6	8	◆6	7
8	7	◆6	7	7	7	9	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	◆6	7	7	8	◆6	7	7
9	◆6	8	9	◆6	8	◆6	8	◆6	8	7	7	8	◆6	◆6	◆6	7	8	◆6
10	◆6	◆6	8	9	◆6	7	8	10	7	7	8	7	▲5	7	7	◆6	◆6	8
11	9	◆6	◆6	7	8	8	◆6	7	7	8	◆6	◆6	8	7	▲5	7	8	▲5
12	◆6	7	7	8	7	7	bye	◆6	◆6	7	bye	bye	9	7	bye	◆6	7	7
13	9	9	8	8	7	◆6	13	7	bye	◆6	16	15	◆6	7	14	9	◆6	bye
14	7	8	◆6	▲5	bye	◆6	8	7	14	7	◆6	7	bye	bye	9	7	bye	13
15	◆6	7	7	bye	11	bye	◆6	7	◆6	bye	7	7	14	14	8	bye	14	8
16	bye	bye	bye	13	9	15	7	bye	8	15	◆6	7	8	7	◆6	12	8	9
17	14	11	14	8	7	7	7	15	7	◆6	8	◆6	◆6	◆6	7	8	7	7
18	◆6	7	7	7	7	◆6	8	7	8	9	◆6	7	8	9	7	8	◆6	7
19	7	9	▲5	7	7	10	8	◆6	7	7	8	8	7	◆6	▲5	◆6	7	◆6
20	8	◆6	7	◆6	7	7	7	◆6	◆6	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	8	10	◆6	7	◆6
21	◆6	9	9	◆6	7	◆6	8	9	8	◆6	7	7	7	7	◆6	7	7	8
22	◆6	◆6	8	10	7	◆6	◆6	◆6	◆6	9	8	◆6	▲5	◆6	8	8	8	7
23	8	7	◆6	◆6	7	9	▲5	8	8	◆6	7	8	10	◆6	◆6	8	◆6	▲5
24	◆6	◆6	7	8	7	◆6	10	◆6	7	7	7	◆6	7	8	8	◆6	7	7

Every club’s breaks, round by round

7. Travel

An interstate trip is a game at a venue outside the club’s home state. This version has 161 trips in all, and 34 times a club travels interstate two weeks in a row. Most trips: Greater Western Sydney (14).

Every trip on a timeline

8. Fair or not? The facts side by side

Fairness is hard to define, and a perfectly even fixture is not possible with 18 clubs and 23 games. So there is no overall score here: just the counts, one row per club, for you to weigh.

Club	Twice v top 6	Twice v middle 6	Twice v bottom 6	Prime time	Interstate trips	Trips two in a row	Breaks of ≤5 days
Brisbane Lions	3	1	2	12	11	3	0
Fremantle	2	2	2	12	10	1	1
Sydney	3	1	2	11	12	4	0
Hawthorn	3	1	2	7	10	2	0
Geelong	3	1	2	13	6	1	1
Adelaide	2	2	2	13	10	2	0
Western Bulldogs	2	3	1	7	8	2	2
Carlton	2	3	1	7	5	1	1
Melbourne	1	4	1	0	7	2	0
Collingwood	1	4	1	11	6	3	2
St Kilda	1	3	2	4	7	1	2
Greater Western Sydney	1	3	2	5	14	5	0
Gold Coast	2	2	2	3	13	3	0
North Melbourne	2	1	3	0	9	1	0
Port Adelaide	2	1	3	3	10	1	2
West Coast	2	1	3	1	10	1	1
Richmond	2	1	3	2	8	1	0
Essendon	2	2	2	1	5	0	0

Counts from this version’s recorded games, dates, slot bands and venues. Flag an issue