A round 10 Friday night clash between Brisbane Lions and Collingwood at the Gabba looks set to be on next season's fixture list. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail
COLLINGWOOD at the Gabba on a Friday night ... bring it on.
Brisbane Lions boss Malcolm Holmes has boldly declared his club, code and city big enough to handle a likely scheduling clash with crosstown rivals the Broncos.
The AFL will announce a prized Friday night showdown between the Lions and Collingwood in round 10 when it releases its 2013 fixtures today.
The May 31 match is one of two Queensland road trips for the big-drawing Pies, who will also visit the Gold Coast to help promote Australian football in the state's southeast.
Holmes was delighted the league had entrusted one of its primetime jewels to the Gabba, even if it meant a rare head-to-head duel with the Broncos.
Although the NRL draw will not be finalised for at least another fortnight, the Broncos are tipped to play 18 of their first 20 matches next season on Thursday or Friday nights.
The last Friday night clash when the Lions and Broncos both played In Brisbane on the same night, in 2008, was a comfortable victory for the NRL, with 50,000 people packing Suncorp Stadium and a further 327,000 viewers watching their clash with the Cowboys on television.
Over at the Gabba, the Lions and Collingwood had 33,687 paying spectators and 98,000 free-to-air viewers.
"There's about three million people within an hour's drive (of the Gabba)," Holmes said.
"I think the market's big enough to handle fixtures from other codes. (Hosting) Friday night football is a significant show of faith by the AFL and broadcasters.
There should be no bigger game."
Their Friday night coup replaces the Lions' Easter Thursday timeslot which cannot be staged next season due to a clash with the Queensland Bulls cricket season.
The meeting with the Pies will be preceded in round 9 by another high-profile vis-itor in Carlton and followed with a bye.
It is understood the AFL's scheduling system considered 250,000 match options before producing a fixture that includes:
Carlton to play only one 2012 finals side, Collingwood, twice.
No Friday night outings for Melbourne or the Western Bulldogs.
Two meetings for premiers Sydney against the Giants.
A March 30 season opener for the Suns at Metricon Stadium against St Kilda. The Lions will be away to the Bulldogs in round 1.
The opening round will be spread over two weekends, with Adelaide hosting Essendon (March 22) and Fremantle taking on West Coast (March 23). The second half of the round will be run over the following long weekend, with Carlton playing Richmond on Easter Thursday.
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