The AFLW grand final has been postponed and will now take place on Saturday, April 9, after originally being scheduled for the weekend of April 2 and 3.
Key points:
- Both preliminary finals will now take place on Saturday, April 2
- The grand final will be played in the afternoon slot on Saturday, April 9
- Fremantle comfortably defeated the Kangaroos in their qualifying final on the weekend
The preliminary finals have also been postponed, with both games set to be played on Saturday, April 2.
The finals fixture was thrown into disarray over the weekend with the Magpies unable to field a side for their qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
As per AFLW health and safety protocols, a team must have at least 16 players and five train-on players available to play.
When this is not possible, games are either rearranged or postponed, or in the worst case scenario, cancelled.
The game has now been re-scheduled for Sunday, March 27, at 12:05pm local time, with Brisbane retaining the right to host at the Gabba.
The first of the qualifying finals was played over the weekend, with the Dockers easily accounting for the Kangaroos by 38 points at Arden Street.
This means the first preliminary final will see the Crows take on the Dockers, while Melbourne will meet the winner of the postponed Brisbane and Collingwood game.
The two victors will then face off in the grand final on the afternoon of Saturday, April 9.
“We are pleased to be able to provide certainty to the W community and confirm the arrangements for the qualifying final, the preliminary finals and the NAB AFLW Grand Final,” AFL general manager of women’s football Nicole Livingstone said.
“The health and safety of everyone in the competition remains the highest priority – we have worked closely with Collingwood on the return to play for their program and with the Lions from a fixturing perspective.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the commitment from both clubs and everyone across the competition for the role they have played despite the many challenges we’ve faced.”
The AFLW grand final is traditionally hosted by the highest-ranked winner of the preliminary finals.
The Adelaide Crows finished on top of the ladder this season, and would earn the right to host should they win through to the grand final.
Adelaide have won two premierships, in 2017 and 2019.
The latter was played at Adelaide Oval in front of 53,034 fans.
The Crows again hosted the decider in 2021, but were defeated by Brisbane.
The AFL has confirmed that ticket prices will remain at $10 for adults, while those under 18 can enter for free.
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
