The five-month campaign break is almost over, and the AFL 2024 season is almost upon us. Collingwood defeated Brisbane in an exciting grand final in 2023, and they will be going for back-to-back AFL premierships. As the anticipation builds for the AFL 2024 season, the teams and players are gearing up to showcase their talents and fans are eagerly awaiting the return of their favorite team on the field. The 18 teams will be seen in action this season from 7 March to 28 September and participate in a 23-match home-and-away schedule spread over 25 weeks, with the top eight teams advancing to the finals series.
AFL 2024 season fixture
The complete schedule for the 2024 AFL season has been released. This season will begin with an ‘opening round’ that takes place one week prior to round one, with four games being played in Sydney and Queensland. The four northern states clubs will play their Victorian opponents for the first premiership points of the season in the opening round. A week later, there will be a complete nine-match round, with a bye in between rounds two and six for each of the eight teams who participated in the ‘opening round’.
On March 7, Sydney and Melbourne will square off at the SCG to formally kick off the season. The next evening, the Brisbane Lions will host Carlton at the Gabba. In new coach Damien Hardwick's first matchup with his previous team, Gold Coast takes on Richmond at Carrara Stadium on Saturday. Later that evening, GWS will play host to Collingwood, the reigning premier, at Giants Stadium. The four matches will be followed a week later by the customary MCG blockbuster between Carlton and Richmond in Round 1, which features a total of 9 matches.
What to expect from the AFL 2024 season
All the teams are prepping for the 2024 season and are ready to perform beyond expectations. Let's look at the AFL predictions of the eight teams participating in the opening rounds of this season.
Collingwood
The reigning champs are already at the top of their game, with a strong roster that doesn't seem to be slowing down. Lachie Schultz's addition gives the team an edge as well. The Magpies, under the direction of Darcy Moore and Craig McRae, will be primed for action when the first round of play gets underway.
Carlton
With the way the Blues concluded the season, there is understandable hope about what may happen in 2024. They lost six games in a row throughout the season, but they managed to come close to finishing in the top four before placing fifth and qualifying for the preliminary round. With a talented roster, they have yet to reach their potential and end the 29-year premiership drought looming over the team.
Sydney Swans
Swans were very active during the trade window, landing each of their targets one after the other. With a new infusion of recruits, their 2024 season would likely see a significant improvement. With the addition of All-Australian ruck Brodie Grundy and tough inside midfielder Taylor Adams, the team has also gained more depth with the addition of premiership players James Jordan and Joel Hamling.
Melbourne
After a turbulent off-season, the Dees will be eager to rebound this season. Harrison Petty's return from injury will be beneficial, but there haven't been any noteworthy trade gambits to get excited about. They were for the most part of the last season quite consistent, placing fourth with 16 victories, 7 defeats, and ended the season in the top four.
GWS
The previous season, the Giants were the talk of the league. Prior to pulling off two historic finals victories and losing to the Pies in the preliminary round by only one point, first-year coach Adam Kingsley's team won nine of their final 11 games to surge from the bottom four in Round 12 into seventh place. The expectations from the Giants this season are quite high but they are still improving and hopes are they might return to the postseason.
Richmond
With Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt retiring, along with Damien Hardwick leaving, it marked the end of an era for Richmond. While there are many positive aspects of Adem Yze, the team is not in the same place as it was in 2023. Tom Lynch won't be making an appearance soon, and it's difficult to escape the impression that this year will be more about development under the new coach.
Brisbane
Lions have their work cut out for them this season after coming close to winning last season. Will Ashcroft's comeback and Tom Doedee's entrance will bolster the side further. Over the previous five seasons, Brisbane has likely been the most consistent top team under Chris Fagan, yet they still can't raise the flag. This year it would be disappointing if the Premiership Cup is not lifted by them.
Gold Coast
With Damien Hardwick and many Academy talents joining the Suns, there will be high expectations that they can finally secure a postseason berth this season.
The Suns spent a lot of money to get a highly-regarded coach in Hardwick, and now they are counting on him to lead this team up the ladder and make sure it plays important September football for the first time. They have everything set up for success and it's time they put an end to waiting!
Delve deeper into the dynamic realms of the Australian Football League (AFL) using real-time data. Data Sports Group’s AFL statistics API offers a more comprehensive coverage of fixtures, live scores, live statistics, pre-match and post-match team standings, and more. Get your hand on some of the key data points that AFL teams track and analyze. Data Sports Group offers a wide range of statistics related to player performance such as kicks, handballs, marks, tackles, goals, behinds, hitouts, clearances, inside 50s, intercepts, contested possessions, uncontested possessions, and turnovers. These metrics provide valuable insights into individual player performance, during the game. Get ready for the AFL 2024 season with the best AFL Data Feed API.
