The AFL has announced that Collingwood will play its final match of the home and away season against North Melbourne on Sunday 1 September at the MCG.

The match will begin at 3.20pm AEST.

Since 2009, the AFL has only confirmed the schedule for the final round with a handful of weeks remaining, rewarding the sides which are best placed to launch a tilt at the Premiership each season.

Chief Executive Officer Gary Pert said the club accepted the outcome of the round 23 schedule, stating its announcement would bear little influence on Collingwood’s priority of building form ahead of September action.

“We recognize the competing priorities in the fixturing process and understand the way the system works, in that the rewards go to those who finish highest,” Pert said.

“We’ve got no problem with that. What’s important for us is to concentrate on making our preparation as sharp as it can possibly be and producing our best football which, we know, is good enough to test anyone.

“An hour or a day here and there, in the grand scheme of the season, isn’t anything to be concerned about. It’s more important to take care of what we have control over – and that is our performance.”