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After ruining Melbourne’s season with their last-gasp semi-final victory, Carlton will host the Demons at their suburban home Ikon Park in the AFL’s official practice match round in the last week of February.
The pre-season hit-outs will see teams fine tune their preparations in matches played over four 20-minute quarters with 30 players on each team and no interchange cap. Club members and children will be admitted free to the matches played at suburban venues, and each match will be broadcast live.
Sam Walsh was a star for the Blues during the finals.
Defending premiers Collingwood will begin the round on Tuesday, February 27 when they play arch-rivals Richmond at Ikon Park ahead of the Blues and Demons clash the following night. The Magpies will play North Melbourne in match simulation a week earlier on Wednesday, February 21.
Sydney and the Giants will face the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast respectively in Bankstown and Canberra on the Thursday night, before the Cats take on the Bombers in a twilight Friday night match in Geelong – putting the Scott brothers in town together to maximise their hit-out.
Port Adelaide will take on Fremantle and Adelaide will come up against West Coast in Adelaide, while Hawthorn head to Launceston to play the Western Bulldogs. The practice round finishes on Sunday at Moorabbin when the Saints host North Melbourne, with two wily coaches Ross Lyon and Alastair Clarkson sharpening up against each other before the season starts.
AFL COMMUNITY SERIES FIXTURE
Tuesday, February 27
Collingwood v Richmond, Ikon Park, 6.40pm
Wednesday, February 28
Carlton v Melbourne, Ikon Park, 6.40pm
Thursday, February 29
Sydney v Brisbane Lions, Blacktown, 4.10pm
GWS v Gold Coast, Manuka Oval, 7.10pm
Friday, March 1
Geelong v Essendon, GMHBA Stadium, 5.10pm
Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Alberton Oval, 8pm
Saturday, March 2
Adelaide v West Coast, Hisense Stadium, 3.10pm
Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs, UTAS Stadium, 6.10pm
Sunday, March 3
St Kilda v North Melbourne, RSEA Park, 2.10pm
Veteran Roo in a moonboot until January
North Melbourne defender Aidan Corr will remain in a moonboot until mid-January after suffering a “significant ankle sprain” last Friday at the club’s training camp on the Gold Coast.
Although the injury, which a club source confirmed to The Age, is a blow for the veteran as he prepares to lead a youthful defence into 2024, the Kangaroos were relieved he has avoided surgery and will be able to rehabilitate over the Christmas break before he is reassessed when the players return to train in the new year.
With Griffin Logue sidelined until late next season following a knee reconstruction and Ben McKay departing to Essendon as a restricted free agent – a deal which netted the Kangaroos pick No.3 in the draft – North Melbourne are short on AFL experience down back, with their midfield stacked with youthful talent.
North Melbourne are hoping Aidan Corr can be a reliable defender in 2024 .Credit: Getty Images
The Kangaroos picked up two promising defenders in the first round of this year’s national draft, selecting Wil Dawson (pick No.22) and Riley Hardeman (pick 23), while also adding former Tiger Bigoa Nyuon and mature-aged SANFL defender Toby Pink to their list during the trade period.
Corr had no luck in his first year at the Kangaroos after joining the club as a free agent, playing just two matches after suffering an infected toe, but has played 39 games in the past two seasons and has been a reliable contributor in a backline that has been under siege at times. He finished eighth in the 2022 best and fairest but a calf injury interrupted his pre-season last year.
The club hopes he will integrate back into full training in January.
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