The Melbourne Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval have been locked in for the AFLW preliminary finals, with it to be the first time the MCG has been used for AFLW.
Both preliminary finals will be played on Saturday, April 2, with the Melbourne Demons to host the first match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 12:40pm (AEDT), before the Adelaide Crows host the Fremantle Dockers two hours later in the South Australian capital.
Melbourne's opponents will be either the Brisbane Lions or Collingwood Magpies, who play their postponed qualifying final this coming Sunday at 1:05pm (AEDT) in Brisbane.
That match was postponed due to the coronavirus running through the Magpies' squad.
The AFL have also revealed that, in an effort to avoid a scheduling clash, the men's match scheduled for April 2 between the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns at Giants Stadium in Sydney will be pushed back from a 1:10pm (AEDT) start time to a 4:35pm (AEDT) start time.
There is no other men's match to be played on that day before 7:25pm (AEDT), allowing the Giants and Suns clash to have free air in what will now prove to be a ten-hour marathon of AFL and AFLW for TV viewers.
General manager of women's football at the AFL Nicole Livingstone said it was an exciting occasion.
“We cannot wait for the history-making Preliminary Final match at the MCG – the first time AFLW players get to play at the venue, and equally, a special occasion for supporters who will witness a NAB AFLW match at the ‘G’ for the first time in the competition’s six-year history," Livingstone said.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the commitment from everyone across the competition for the role they have played to achieve a ten-round home-and-away season despite the many interruptions we have faced. Despite some of those challenges continuing into the Finals Series, we remain absolutely committed to overcoming them and look forward to awarding a 2022 Premier."
Sunday, March 27, Brisbane Lions vs Collingwood at Gabba, 1:05pm
Saturday, April 2, Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions or Collingwood at MCG, 12.40pm
Saturday, April 2, Adelaide Crows vs Fremantle at Adelaide Oval, 2.40pm
Times AEDT.