The 2024 Gather Round fixture has officially been released, following the leak of prime-time scheduling details.
Following the resounding success of this year's debut festivities, Gather Round will be held in South Australia until 2026, with next season's host locations locked in again as the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Hills, and Norwood, with the slate set to unfold in Round 4 in early April 2024.
The full fixture was released during a joint Gillon McLachlan-Peter Malinauskas Sunday afternoon announcement at Norward Oval, after details of the opening pair of prime-time slots were leaked on Saturday evening.
The Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide will play respective home prime-time matches at the Adelaide Oval. However, dissimilar to last season's Crows-Blues and Power-Bulldogs matchups, the host clubs' opponents are set to differ in 2024.
The Crows will play Melbourne on Thursday's opening night, while the Power and Essendon will follow on Friday evening.
The fixture-makers appear to have played on the trade relations between these four sides in October, with the Crows and Demons linked in multiple ways, while the Bombers and Power completed a trade deal that saw two corresponding player moves.
Livewire forward Shane McAdam, who sought a trade to Melbourne, is set to match up against his old side in the Crows, while there were also rumblings about South Australian Demon Harrison Petty potentially seeking a move home to Adelaide; a transition that didn't eventuate during the trade period.
On the other hand, Port Adelaide and Essendon orchestrated a deadline-day mega-deal that saw Brandon Zerk-Thatcher land at Alberton and pacy wingman Xavier Duursma head the other way to Tullamarine, as well as an exchange of selections.
Adding fuel to the fire, Adelaide and Melbourne shape as potential top-four contenders next season, while the Power and Bombers meet again after last season's Dan Houston game-winning long-bomb after the siren.
With the opening pair of Gather Round fixtures cemented, McLachlan and Malinauskas announced the remainder of the anticipated slate on Sunday afternoon.
Collingwood will play against Jack Ginnivan for the first time when the Magpies and Hawks do battle in the Sunday twilight slot at Adelaide Oval.
Carlton-Fremantle and Geelong-Western Bulldogs culminate in a Saturday double-header at Adelaide Oval, while Norwood Oval will again host a pair of clashes; Brisbane vs. North Melbourne on Friday afternoon and St Kilda vs. Richmond on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Mount Barker will host Sydney-West Coast on Saturday and Gold Coast-GWS on Sunday.
FULL FIXTURE:
Thursday, April 4
Adelaide v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm ACDT
Friday, April 5
Brisbane v North Melbourne, Norwood Oval, 4.40pm ACDT
Port Adelaide v Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT
Saturday, April 6
Sydney v West Coast, Mount Barker, 1pm ACDT
Carlton v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval 3.50pm ACDT
Geelong v Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT
Sunday, April 7
Gold Coast v Greater Western Sydney, Mount Barker, 12pm ACST
Richmond v St Kilda, Norwood Oval, 2.50pm ACST
Collingwood v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval, 4.40pm ACST
Approximately 220,000 fans flocked to 2023's Gather Round clashes, with that figure including a minimum of 60,000 interstate visitors.
