Overview
- Gather Round is locked for April 9–12 with Adelaide v Carlton to open at Adelaide Oval, Collingwood v Fremantle on Friday night, and Port v St Kilda to close, with Barossa Park and Norwood Oval hosting again.
- Six Friday night double‑headers are scheduled early in the season, starting on Good Friday and continuing through rounds six to 11.
- The grand final rematch is set for Thursday, May 14 at the Gabba, where Brisbane will host Geelong to open Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
- Early prime‑time allocations favor Geelong, Hawthorn and Adelaide (eight each) and Carlton (seven), with Collingwood on six, while Brisbane receive three and West Coast receive none.
- Adelaide open their season at the MCG against Collingwood with Izak Rankine still serving a one‑game suspension, and the Crows lead the Thursday night slate with five appearances in the first block.