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AAP
AAP
Sport
Murray Wenzel

Opening Round axed in AFL fixture shake-up

AFL Opening Round Andrew Dillon MCG Ashes Test
Sydney opened the 2026 season with a big win over Carlton, but the staggered start is no more. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

The AFL has scrapped the Opening Round experiment after three seasons and will return to a traditional nine-game first week.

League boss Andrew Dillon on Wednesday confirmed the demise of the much-criticised concept that featured four games played exclusively in Queensland and New South Wales between only a selection of eight clubs.

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