Thanks, so that’s one of the two weeks accounted for… Maybe there’s an extra split round in there too?
There is also the Gather Round, which took last year’s season up to 24.
This year there is 25 rounds (including Opening Round) which adds the extra two weeks, meaning while having an early start, the season will still finish at the same time as previous years.
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Isn’t the Gather Round still one of the 25 rounds?
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Yes. Last year Gather Round took last year’s (2023) season to 24 rounds, while this year the Opening Round takes the number up to 25.
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What a heartstopper game at the Gabba! Carlton Blues beat Lions by 1 point! It looked very ominous during the 2nd quarter where the Carlton Blues trailed by 46 points, but they came back and went on to upset last years Grand Finalists by 1 point.
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Well it’s a good thing there are no games in Melbourne or Adelaide this weekend with temps of 39-40 degrees forecast. Not so good if there are any local leagues playing though.
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Only local league is the Women’s SANFL league today but all matches were pushed forward to 9:30am because of the heat.
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Still cricket finals this weekend, still wouldn’t be fun.
The Flemington races have been brought forward to avoid the hottest part of the day.
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Many local competitons are usually cancelled if tempature is above 37 degrees. As mentioned, SANFL W has been moved to 9AM so it is finished by 11am.
Adelaide Cup could be cancelled as well (although SA still get’s the day off 
)
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Not really a day off for most people as such since its a Saturday.
Sorry I meant Monday for the Adelaide Cup Day, when it will still be very hot.
Ah right, thanks!
It’s going to be a looooong season based on today’s performance so far.
By the time AFLW takes the stage everyone will be suffering from footy fatigue. And the AFL wonders attendance is down. Seven airing games on 7Mate is not helping.
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Fully agree, part of what made the AFLW relatively successful early on was that it came at a time when there had been no footy to watch for 3 months and people were keen to see any sort of footy being played.
I get that the summer heat is less than optimal for the players but there’s also plenty of opportunities that would come from reverting back to say a late December to early March season. Having a large part of the season played over the summer holidays would be great for families with kids and help boost the family-friendly reputation they’re trying to develop.
To mitigate the heat factor, I’d suggest having games start as early as 10am-11am (this would a great timeslot for families with kids to come and watch, as well as avoiding the worst of the heat), as well as games in the evening from 6pm onwards when it starts to cool down a bit.
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The 4K is looking 
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I’d say also if Seven isn’t going to give it the same treatment as the men’s league, then someone else should cover the AFLW on FTA (Preferably ABC).
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Another top thread from Todd Davey 
https://twitter.com/ToddJDavey/status/1766261492033446264?t=30sXDihtXbX14AEMgWOgsQ&s=19
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Caroline Wilson said on 3AW at midday today she believes Opening Round has been a big success for new CEO Andrew Dillon, however did say if stays next year and becomes a thing could do even more marketing/publicity in Sydney especially as well as Brisbane. Panellists were also shocked by Carlton’s win, even if by 1pt. And where does this leave the traditional season opener of MCG Richmond v Carlton now?
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Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has signed a one-year contract extension, meaning he will stay at the club until at least the end of 2025 season.
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