AFLW grand final to be staged as standalone event with MCG a possible venue

The AFL has confirmed the AFLW Grand Final will be held as a standalone event on 17th April and will not have to compete against a men's match for the attention of fans.

The League has also announced that the MCG, Adelaide Oval or Brisbane’s Gabba are being considered as the host venue for the AFLW fourth season decider.

With the Grand Final to commence at 2pm (AEST) on 17th April, the AFL has moved the start time of the men's match between the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast at Docklands from 1:45pm to 4:35pm (AEST), saying they wanted to make sure there was "clear air" for the womens’ decider.

The AFLW's showpiece match will be played in the home state of the team ranked highest following this Saturday's preliminary finals.

Adelaide, facing Melbourne in the opening preliminary final, is the top-ranked side remaining in the competition.

Brisbane, playing Collingwood in the second preliminary final, is the second-ranked side.

The Demons and Magpies would need to beat the Crows and Lions respectively for the MCG to host the grand final.

In a statement AFL General Manager of Women's Football, Nicole Livingstone advised "I would love nothing more than to see a packed Adelaide Oval, MCG or the Gabba, watching women's football at the highest level.

"As we look ahead to this weekend's preliminary finals, we are excited to witness who earns the right to host this year's grand final."

If the grand final is to be played at the MCG, the round-five AFL match between Carlton and Port Adelaide will be rescheduled from 7:25pm to 7:40pm (AEST) to allow the AFLW crowd to disperse and the stadium to be cleaned ahead of the Blues-Power encounter.

The Gabba will also be cleaned if it hosts the grand final ahead of the Brisbane-Essendon AFL match to be played later that evening.