Collingwood are set to host an Opening Round match at the MCG for the first time, with several Victorian rivals to face them in a newly minted marquee timeslot.
The Magpies have featured in both shortened season opener weekends since its inception in 2024, but complained to the AFL about having twice been scheduled for an away game against GWS, comfortably losing both encounters.
They appear set to get their wish, with veteran footy journalist Caroline Wilson reporting on Seven’s The Agenda Setters that the Pies will host a match at the MCG on the Sunday night of Opening Round, the evening before the Labour Day public holiday in Melbourne.
“There is going to be a game in Melbourne in Opening Round – my understanding is it’s going to be on Sunday night, probably at the MCG, and almost certainly involving the Collingwood Football Club,” Wilson said.
According to the report, the game will be an extra add-on to the current four-game Opening Round schedule, which in 2024 and 2025 saw Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney all host games – though the Lions and Suns saw their matches postponed due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“There will definitely be two games in Queensland, home games hosted by Gold Coast and Brisbane … and then there’ll be two in Sydney hosted by Sydney and GWS,” Wilson said.
“The game in Melbourne will be an all-Victorian game on the eve of the Monday Labour Day holiday. My belief [is] it will be the only other game in Opening Round.”
Fellow Victorian rivals are keen on facing the Magpies in the primetime slot, with St Kilda particularly intent on ensuring they are chosen; for them, the match would serve as their annual ‘Spud’s Game’, a tribute to men’s mental health in honour of the late Danny Frawley.
“St Kilda in the coming days are going to put forward a fascinating proposal to the AFL,” Wilson reported.
“St Kilda want to declare this their annual Spud’s Game … they want to play against Collingwood. It will be also the 60th anniversary year of their only premiership victory over the Collingwood Football Club.
“The club see it as a perfect opportunity to launch a documentary that they’re making at the moment, that they started making after the re-signing of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
“The Bulldogs also want to play Collingwood that night, and so does Melbourne … it’s St Kilda’s one big fixture request for 2026, and part of the club’s plan to be bolder.”
According to Wilson, the league are also looking at an international music guest to perform at the MCG – however, it still needs to be confirmed whether the ground will be available for football that night.
‘Forever my coach’: Gawn praises Goodwin after claiming fourth Dees B&F
Simon Goodwin will be “forever” Max Gawn’s AFL coach and has been praised for his “extraordinary legacy” as Melbourne continue to search for who succeeds him.
Gawn convincingly won his third Keith “Bluey” Truscott Trophy as the Demons’ best and fairest at Tuesday night’s club function.
In his acceptance speech he heaped praise on Goodwin, who was sacked a month ago, noting all eight of his All-Australian selections had come when Goodwin was at Melbourne.
“He is going to be forever my coach,” Gawn said. “Cheers Goody.”
Max Gawn is a three-time @melbournefc Best and Fairest
— MyHeartBeatsTrue (@melbournefans) September 9, 2025
President Brad Green also acknowledged Goodwin at Tuesday night’s function.
Goodwin was coach and Gawn was captain when the Demons broke their 57-year premiership drought in 2021. He is one of only four men to coach Melbourne to a flag.
Melbourne started interviews for their coach on Monday, with former Collingwood boss Nathan Buckley the frontrunner, and a decision could be made as early as preliminary final week.
The Demons want the new coach on board by the grand final.
“Simon leaves behind an extraordinary legacy – he is one of only four people to coach Melbourne to a premiership,” Green said in his speech.
“Simon gave everything – not just as a coach, but as a person, and for that we are extremely grateful.
“We will find a fantastic person (as the new coach) who will drive this club forward and you should be extremely excited about this, and what we can achieve together. This decision is critical to our club’s future
“This is a great club and I have no doubt that success isn’t far away.”
Goodwin did not attend the function.
Assistant coaches Mark Williams and Sam Radford, who have left the club, were also thanked at the function.
Gawn polled 592 votes to predictably dominate voting. It is the 33-year-old’s first best and fairest as captain, after also winning in 2018 and 2019.
Christian Petracca was second on 479 and Kysiah Pickett took third with 467.
The Demons announced eight life members, among them current stars Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jake Melksham.
This time a year ago, Green confirmed at the best and fairest count that Oliver was staying, after the onballer went close to joining Geelong.
There was also intense speculation about Petracca’s future.
Those two players are certain to feature again in trade talk.
Long-time administrator David Chippindall, who was interim chief executive until Paul Guerra joined the club this month, was another life member inductee.
Peter Marquis, Noel Clarke, Robert McKenzie and Geoff McGivern were all 1950s premiership players.
(AAP)
Snag in AFL’s ‘Wildcard Round’ push
The AFL’s plans to introduced a ‘Wildcard Round’ to the finals series in 2025 have hit a late snag, ahead of a proposal to the Commission in two weeks’ time.
The concept of two extra finals, with seventh playing tenth and eighth playing ninth, in the week of the pre-finals bye to fill what has become a dead weekend of men’s football, has grown traction in recent years.
Last week, new AFL football boss Greg Swann flagged that the change was one being closely looked at by the league, with further reports that Wildcard Round would be all but locked in for next year.
However, according to Caroline Wilson on Seven’s The Agenda Setters, the plan has hit a ‘serious snag’, with its introduction would force the league to introduce another rule, amid fears clubs involved in the extra finals will rest players en masse for the final home-and-away round – exactly the problem that saw the AFL introduce the pre-finals bye in 2016.
“This snag involves what happens when you have teams from seventh to tenth who on the eve of the final round can’t move,” Wilson said.
“They can’t move higher than seventh, they can’t move lower than tenth. Are they going to do what Ross Lyon did in 2015 with his Fremantle team? Are they going to do what Brad Scott did in 2015 with his North Melbourne team?
“It’s a real dilemma and they don’t want this happening – teams dropping players on the second-last round of the season.”
Wilson compared the issue to that faced by the NRL, where several clubs, most notably Penrith, Canberra and Melbourne, have mass rested players in late home-and-away rounds to ensure they are cherry-ripe for finals.
According to the report, the league are looking into limiting how many changes a team can make per weekend in response.
“They’re actually looking at mandating the amount of players a team can drop going into a big game,” she said.
However, co-panellist Mitch Cleary questioned whether the new rule is enforcible.
“Is there any way they can do that?” he asked.
“Because players and clubs will be able to find ways around this. Is a player actually injured? Are they not?
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/ORzEuQa News: MCG Opening Round blockbuster looms for Pies, Gawn claims B&F, snag in wildcard finals push
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