Dogs vs Pies to launch wildcards on Friday; AFL locks in qualifying and elimination finals fixtures

Clubs are planning for a Bulldogs-Collingwood match on Friday and Melbourne to take on Carlton on Saturday night in the AFL’s inaugural wildcard weekend.

The Western Bulldogs’ upset win over the Demons on Saturday and Adelaide’s thumping of the Giants later that night confirmed the match-ups.

But the AFL will wait to officially announce which match will be played in each timeslot until after Hawthorn’s match against West Coast, which could still change the make-up of the top six.

That is relevant to the wildcard fixture because the team that finishes fifth will play the ladder’s lowest advancing team, while sixth will play the higher-ranked team of the winners.

Adelaide are currently fifth and Geelong fourth on 60 points, while the Hawks are sixth on 60 points but with the game against the Eagles in hand.

A Hawthorn win would mean the Hawks finish fourth with the Cats fifth and Adelaide sixth. The Hawks could even finish in third above the Brisbane Lions on percentage if they thump the Eagles by close to 100 points.

Because all wildcard teams are Victorian, the likely outcome of a Hawks win on Sunday night would mean one team would have to travel to Adelaide – causing the delay in the league’s wildcard announcement as it works through potential fixturing for the next week of the finals series.

The official announcement is expected late on Sunday.

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