The AFL has had to shift the start times of two separate games on Anzac Day due to a 97-year-old Tasmanian law.
Next Saturday’s early clash between Hawthorn and Gold Coast at UTAS Stadium in Launceston has been pushed back 15 minutes from 12.15pm AEST to 12.30pm.
In their original fixturing, the AFL made an oversight of an almost century-old state government legislation in the Apple Isle that prohibits any sporting events starting before 12.30pm on Anzac Day.
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The legislation is called Tasmania’s Anzac Day Observance Act, and has been in place since 1929.
As a result of that tweak, Essendon and Collingwood’s traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG has been moved back five minutes from 3.15pm AEST to 3.20pm, to minimise overlap with the earlier game.
The AFL’s head of scheduling Josh Bowler “thanked clubs, broadcast partner Foxtel, Channel 7, UTAS Stadium and the MCG for collaboratively working together on a solution”.
Anzac Day matches have taken place in Tasmania four times, most recently in 2022 and 2011, both of which started at 12.30pm AEST.
Port Adelaide’s Adelaide Oval clash with Geelong at 6.35pm AEST and Fremantle’s Optus Stadium date with Carlton at 8.15pm AEST have had no change.
The full 2026 AFL fixture was originally released back in late November.
