Footy fans are relishing the return of the AFL, the 122nd season of this elite competition. The AFL is the most highly attended spectator sport in Australia, and one of the top five best attended league’s world-wide, with an average of well over thirty-thousand people in the stadiums for each game.
Entering the 2018 AFL Premiership Richmond are the defending champions and looking to make it two in a row, but a number of teams have improved their rosters with an eye toward dethroning the Tigers and you can enjoy the action on a standard or HD TV, or stream matches live to qualified mobile devices.
2018 Toyota AFL Premiership season
When: March 22 – September 29
Where: Australia
Must See AFL Live TV
There will be a great number of fascinating contests during the 2018 AFL premiership season, including a Good Friday match between the Kangas and the Saints, two games on Easter, the traditional Anzac Day clashes on April 25, as well as the four local derbies that see the clubs take on their cross-town rivals in heated matches starting with Sydney Derby XIV at the SCG on Saturday, April 7. April will also see Brisbane and Gold Coast play in QClash 15 at the Gabba (April 22), as well as the 47th Western Derby between West Coast and Fremantle on April 29.
May’s Fixtures include a pair of strong rivalries in round 8, Hawthorn vs Sydney at the MCG on Friday May 11, followed by Showdown 44 between Port Adelaide and Adelaide on Saturday May 12, with the Power then having to fly off to Shanghai just one week later to take on the Gold Coast Suns (May 19). The month also has the Geelong Cats hosting Hawthorn for the first time in twenty years (round 10). As the points start to piling up and the calendar enters June, fans will be entertained by the ‘Dreamtime at the G’ (June 2) between Essendon and Richmond, with the Tigers the reigning premiers. The following week sees the Queen’s Birthday Bash, with this year’s Monday afternoon fixture featuring Melbourne and Collingwood, which always attracts a crowd no matter the standings.
Among the matches that will be broadcast in this round on Foxtel with no ad-breaks during play on Fox Footy, which is their dedicated AFL channel, but either not available or limited by location on Free to Air TV (ch. 7) include:
AFL 2018 LIVE TV Fixtures – Grand Final
Fri Sept 28 LIVE: 2018 Grand Final Parade 11.00am – 1.00pm (Fox Footy)
Sat Sept 29 LIVE: West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood Magpies at 2.00pm (Seven)
Sat Sept 29 replay: West Coast vs Collingwood at 6.00pm (Fox Footy)
Above events shown as Sydney time and televised on Fox Footy, adjust for regional differences. The AFL TV replays will be available exclusively on Fox Footy through-out the following week.
Watch or Stream the AFL Live
If you are looking for AFL action then Foxtel is the place for you, with every game of every round of the AFL pre-season and the 2018 season shown live and in HD, with no ad-breaks siren to siren through Fox Footy (excluding the grand final). This includes a good number of great matches not available on Free to Air, and replays of the games you may have missed.
So if you’re a resident of Australia you may wish to review the Foxtel Sports Combo pack which will broadcast these exciting Footy matches live to your TV, and includes free AFL streaming (before the grand final) to eligible mobile devices using the Foxtel App within minutes of getting online. (Mac & PC excluded).
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AFL on Free to Air
Continuing in 2018, the twenty-three rounds of the AFL Premiership will be for the most part held three days a week, Friday to Sunday. The AFL Free to Air coverage on Seven Network will include live telecasts of the Friday night game, up to two matches on Saturday, one contest on Sunday afternoon, and any games that fall on a public holiday or a Monday. Channel 7 will also broadcast the entire Final series live, including the Grand Final.
Channel Seven vs Foxtel
While the Channel Seven television coverage is limited, Foxtel will televise every game in every Round Live, before the Grand Final, with up to five exclusive matches each week to include the games on Saturday and Sunday night.
Friday Night: Ch. 7 and Foxtel
Saturday Afternoon Game 1: Ch. 7 and Foxtel
Saturday Afternoon Game 2: Foxtel
Saturday Evening: Foxtel
Saturday Night Game 1: Ch. 7 and Foxtel
Saturday Night Game 2: Foxtel
Sunday Afternoon Game 1: Foxtel
Sunday Afternoon Game 2: Ch. 7 and Foxtel
Sunday Evening: Foxtel
Monday & Public Holidays: Ch. 7 and Foxtel
The above listing offers a guide for what games are shown on each channel, Australia-wide, and does not reflect Channel Seven’s free to air state-to-state variations which may also include:
New South Wales (NSW) – Sydney: All GWS Giants and Sydney Swans matches will be televised by the Seven Network, primarily on their 7Mate and 7HD channels.
Queensland (QLD) – Brisbane: All Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions matches will be televised by the Seven Network, primarily on their 7Mate and 7HD channels.
South Australia (SA) – Adelaide: All Port Adelaide Power and Adelaide Crows matches will be televised by the Seven Network across Channel 7, as well as 7Mate and 7HD.
Western Australia (WA) – Perth: All Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles matches will be televised by the Seven Network, live, alternating between Channel 7 and 7Mate.
ACT – Canberra: All GWS Giants and Sydney Swans matches will be televised by the Seven Network, primarily on their 7Mate and 7HD channels.
Victoria – Melbourne: No special Free to Air broadcasting arrangements apply.
Northern Territories (NT) – Darwin: No special Free to Air broadcasting arrangements apply.
Tasmania – Hobart: No special Free to Air broadcasting arrangements apply.
AFL 2018 Players to Watch
All eyes will be on the Geelong Cats and Gary Ablett Jr. The prodigal son has returned home after a several year stint at the Gold Coast Suns, where, overall, it wasn’t a happy experience for Ablett and the Suns on the field with the side failing to reach the Finals during his time there. He had enough and for personal reasons has returned to Geelong. Could he be the final piece of the puzzle to secure the Cats their first premiership since 2011 and his first since 2009, and best of all you can watch the AFL live online with an eligible device.
2017 was all about Richmond star Dustin Martin. He had one of the best years from a player in AFL history. He dominated the Brownlow Medal, won all the media awards and of course starred for the Tigers in the Grand Final, which saw him win the North Smith Medal as best on ground, all of which topped off by a massive contract with Richmond. It’ll be hard to top what he achieved in 2017, but on what we have seen in the pre-season, he could be getting better, which is a scary thought for rivals.
It’ll be a big 2018 for star Sydney forward Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin. Buddy had a pretty good 2017 overall after a slow start to the year, along with the rest of the team. But he did sign the big contract at the end of 2013 and everyone, including Swans fans, are expecting at least one premiership during that time, and for that to happen, Buddy does need to fire throughout the year. If he is to do that, Sydney will go a long way towards winning the 2018 Premiership.
AFL 2018 Teams to Watch
Everyone will be fascinated to see how Richmond go in 2018. Their pressure around the ball in 2017, especially in their forward half, was something to behold and a large reason as to why they won the premiership after a horror 2016 in what was one of the great turnarounds in recent history. Their pre-season form in the JLT Series has been outstanding and given that, they are tipped by many experts to take out the premiership and become the first side since Hawthorn to win multiple premierships on the bounce, so don’t miss a key match when you can stream the AFL live with a compatible device.
2018 will be such an interesting year for the Adelaide Crows. For the most part, they were the best side of 2017 and made the Grand Final, but in the big dance, they were completely embarrassed by the Tigers. There is nothing worse than being humiliated in the Grand Final, so how they respond in 2018 will be good viewing. They could come out and dominate the season, redeem themselves and win the premiership, or the disappointment could cause scars that will last for some time.
The Sydney Swans have been the most consistent side in the AFL for over 20 years, missing the finals just twice during that time. Last season was a real mixed bag. They didn’t win for the first two months of the season but went on this incredible run, but the hard toll of playing catch up caught up with them in the end, bowing out in the second week of the finals at the hands of Geelong. They will be making sure that a repeat of the beginning of 2017 doesn’t happen, and their 2018 Anzac round match against the Adelaide Crows will be one of the bigger tests.
The Greater Western Sydney Giants have the roster to win the premiership but they have fallen short in the penultimate weak the past two years, with last year seeing them outclassed by the Tigers in the Prelim Final. They have the best young talent in the competition and have superstars across the board in all three parts of the ground, namely the midfield with Josh Kelly and co-captain Callan Ward. Their premiership window is closing so this might be the last chance for some time.
