The AFL has defended its packed Anzac Day schedule as a one-off that it hopes will add to the occasion.
April 25 falls on Saturday next season and the schedule that the league released on Thursday features five matches through the day.
St Kilda will host Carlton in Wellington from 11am AEST.
That will be over before the start of the day's signature match, Essendon v Collingwood at the MCG.
GWS will also host Gold Coast in a Canberra twilight match, followed by two night games.
Port Adelaide are at home against Hawthorn and Fremantle's annual Len Hall tribute match will feature Sydney.
Asked about the inevitable criticism that the AFL is hijacking the 100th Anzac Day, league chief executive Gill McLachlan replied: "I obviously disagree"
"I don't think anyone in this building and in our league in any way downplays (Anzac Day).
"This is the biggest thing we have in our game - we would never do anything that we thought was hijacking or downplaying it."
McLachlan added that they still had to play nine games over the weekend and AFL scheduling boss Simon Lethlean had consulted several times with the RSL.
"It preserves all the best bits of the famous day at the MCG, while actually celebrating all the best bits of it nationally," McLachlan said.
"If you look through the best bits of it rather than the negative ... it's a real opportunity to grow it and for it to be an even bigger celebration."
Lethlean said the major concern of the state RSL bodies was that the busy AFL schedule would not impact on their morning marches.
"They didn't need convincing, they just wanted to know about the NZ game, because it's earlier," he said.
And McLachlan is adamant about why next year's Anzac Day will feature so many AFL games.
"This is because it's on the Saturday - no other reason," he said.
Richmond and Melbourne will also mark Anzac Day in their Friday night match.
Share
