Victorian teams to feature heavily in Thursday night fixtures
Find out which clubs have historically performed better on Thursday nights.
IMAGE: Patrick Cripps and Dion Prestia compete for the ball during the match between Carlton and Richmond at the MCG in round 1, 2024 (AFL Photos).
Yesterday the AFL released the fixture for the 2025 season.
Or more accurately, they revealed the complete fixture for the first 16 rounds of the home and away season while also announcing the matchups and locations for the final nine rounds.
(The specific days and times of matches in rounds 16 to 24 will be confirmed at some point next year, which allows the league to schedule bigger, more interesting games in the most valuable timeslots and less important games at less opportune times).
However, based on what we know so far, Thursday and Sunday night games seem to be the big focus points in 2025.
There will be a Thursday night game for the first 16 rounds of the season, and in seven of the remaining nine rounds after that point.
“There has been a strong desire from fans and our broadcast partners for more Thursday night football and we are excited to be able to deliver in spades next season,” the AFL’s chief executive Andrew Dillion said earlier this week.
"Fans will be able to take in a total of 23 games of Thursday night football next season, which is more than there has ever been."
The 2025 season will kick off with reigning premiers Brisbane hosting Geelong at the Gabba in Opening Round on Thursday March 6, a replay of the Lions’ thrilling preliminary final 10-point win.
The first match of the 2025 season will be one of three Thursday night games the Lions play at the Gabba with matches against Collingwood (round 6) and Essendon (round 12) also on the cards.
Fifteen of the 18 teams will feature in at least one Thursday night game during the first 16 rounds, with Essendon appearing most frequently (four times) and Greater Western Sydney, Sydney, and West Coast being the three teams missing out after the initial release of the fixture.
This may suit the Giants, however, with the orange team being one of six clubs to have won less than half of their Thursday night games in years gone by.
But it could also be a missed opportunity for Adam Kingsley’s men, who were victorious in their two most recent Thursday night encounters (a nine-point win against Carlton in round 15, 2020, and a 54-point win over Brisbane in round 8, 2024).
Hawthorn will be looking to make the most of their return to prime time, taking the highest win percentage into their three Thursday night games for 2025. The Hawks will also play four Friday night games, including the first Friday night game in Launceston when they host Adelaide in round 14.
North Melbourne will be looking for their first win on a Thursday night when they play Essendon in round 8. The Kangaroos have lost their four previous Thursday night games by an average of 24.5 points.
The timeframe of this stat is limited based on what data are freely/easily available and/or accessible. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you spot any errors in what I have presented.