Adelaide will host a number of big Victorian clubs at Adelaide Oval in 2019 after the official Toyota AFL Premiership Season Fixture was released on Thursday.
The Crows will begin next season at home against the Hawks on
The big clubs are coming to Adelaide Oval
The clash with the Hawks is the first of five games against big Victorian teams, with Geelong (Round Three), Richmond (Round 13), Essendon (Round 18) and Collingwood (Round 22) all to visit Adelaide Oval in 2019.
Reigning premier West Coast will be Adelaide’s opponent for Sir Doug Nicholls Round in Round 10.
Crows Chief Executive Officer Andrew Fagan described the fixture as outstanding for Members and fans attending games at Adelaide Oval.
“Given we are hosting some of the big Victorian clubs which traditionally attract big crowds, I would anticipate the sold-out sign going up at Adelaide Oval quite a few times next year,” Fagan said.
“We have Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at home, as well as a handful of twilight games on Saturday and Sunday, which means the atmosphere should be fantastic too.”
This year's Grand Finalist, Collingwood, will visit Adelaide Oval in Round 22
A mix of timeslots
Adelaide’s home games in 2019 have been splattered across a variety of
The Crows will host two Thursday night games, one Friday night game, four Saturday twilight games, two Saturday night games and two Sunday twilight games, which caters for a wide range of supporters.
No back-to-back travel
Adelaide won’t leave South Australia on consecutive weekends in 2019, with no back-to-back interstate games scheduled across the home and away season.
Additionally, the number of six-day breaks is consistent with previous years and the Club will make only one visit to Perth.
The Crows will have two back-to-backs at Adelaide Oval in May and June.
The first comes in Round Seven and Eight, with Adelaide hosting Fremantle on a Sunday before the ‘away’ Showdown against Port Adelaide six days later.
A month later, the Crows will host consecutive games against Greater Western Sydney and Richmond in Rounds 12 and 13, with the game against the Tigers to be held on a Thursday night on the back of a five-day break.
The first Showdown will be 'away' to Port Adelaide on Saturday night in Round 8
Five trips to Victoria
Adelaide will again travel to Victoria on five occasions in 2019 but will play at four different venues across the state.
The Club’s first two visits will see the Crows take on North Melbourne and St Kilda at the re-branded Marvel Stadium in Round Four and Round Six respectively.
Geelong will host Adelaide on a Friday night in Round 15 at GMHBA Stadium, a venue which has been an unhappy hunting ground for the Crows in recent times. The Cats have won the last ten games between the two sides at Kardinia Park, with Adelaide’s last victory coming in 2003.
Adelaide’s solitary visit to the MCG will be a Saturday afternoon game against Carlton in Round 19, which will see Mitch McGovern pitted against his former side for the first time.
The Club’s 2019 home and away season will come to a close in Ballarat, the hometown of brothers Brad and Matt Crouch, against the Western Bulldogs in Round 23.
See Adelaide's full 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Fixture
Adelaide will only play at the MCG once in 2019, against Carlton in Round 19
Fixture fast facts
- Play Geelong, Gold Coast, St Kilda, Port Adelaide
and West Coast twice Season opener against Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, March 23- ‘Home’ Showdown in Round 16
- Host Sir Doug Nicholls Round game against the Eagles in Round 10
- One five-day break into a Thursday night clash with Richmond in Round 13
- Mid-season bye in Round 14
- 11 games under lights spread across Thursday night (two games), Friday night (three games) and Saturday night (six games)
- 10 interstate games at nine different venues, with only Marvel Stadium featuring more than once
