The AFL advises of key updates to the NAB AFLW Finals Series which will see the Brisbane Lions host Collingwood at The Gabba in a Qualifying Final to be played at 12:05pm local / 1:05pm EDT on Sunday, March 27.
The match, originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, March 19, was pushed back following multiple Collingwood players being unavailable to participate due to AFL Health and Safety Protocols.
Subsequently, the Preliminary Finals will now take place on Saturday, April 2.
The NAB AFLW Grand Final will be played in an afternoon slot on Saturday, April 9 at a venue to be confirmed.
The highest ranked AFLW team at the end of the 2022 NAB AFL Women’s Finals Series will earn the hosting rights of the NAB AFLW Grand Final.
AFL General Manager Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone thanked the W community for their understanding as the league, together with clubs, worked through arrangements for the remaining games of the 2022 NAB AFL Women’s Finals Series.
“While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact and challenge our competition and our wider community, we remain committed to progressing the Finals Series as safely as possible,” Ms Livingstone said.
“We are pleased to be able to provide certainty to the W community and confirm the arrangements for the Qualifying Final, the Preliminary Finals and the NAB AFLW Grand Final.
“The health and safety of everyone in the competition remains the highest priority – we have worked closely with Collingwood on the return to play for their program and with the Lions from a fixturing perspective.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the commitment from both clubs and everyone across the competition for the role they have played despite the many challenges we’ve faced.
"We congratulate all teams who have progressed through this stage of the competition and we look forward to seeing which teams will play off in the Preliminary Finals and then the NAB AFLW Grand Final.
“We again acknowledge and commend those involved for the role they’ve played this season; Clubs, players and the AFLPA, umpires, venues, governments, ticket agents, supporters and our broadcast and commercial partners for their unwavering support of the NAB AFL Women’s Competition and we look forward to seeing all supporters at the footy during the Finals Series.”