Friday night lights and the return of a premiership contender headline the GWS Giants' Canberra comeback as they enter the final year of their deal to play games at Manuka Oval.
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The Giants are set to enter the 10th year of their partnership with the ACT government to play three regular season games and a pre-season match in the capital every year.
But plans to extend the deal had been put on the backburner as both parties coped with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, with talks set to heat up in the coming months.
The AFL will revert to a 22-match, 23-round season in 2021 with the complete fixture published for the opening six rounds on Monday. Timeslots for round seven onwards are to be determined.
The Giants will play the Melbourne Demons in round three on Sunday, April 4, with the opening bounce scheduled for 6.10pm.
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They will return three weeks later for a Friday night blockbuster in round six against the Western Bulldogs beginning at 7.50pm.
The club's final outing in Canberra for the season comes against premiership contenders Port Adelaide in round 20, which runs from July 30 to August 1.
It caps off the AFL's highly-anticipated return to the capital after the coronavirus pandemic forced the league to move all games into hubs around the country this year.
"It's been a difficult year for everyone and we are excited about resuming home games in Sydney and Canberra in front of our passionate members," Giants chief executive David Matthews said.
"This fixture will allow our members to see some of the biggest and best teams up close at Giants Stadium and Manuka Oval.
"With the entire fixture for March and April released, we will continue to work closely with the AFL to give our members as much notice as possible of the dates and time slots of the remaining home and away games.
"[Next season] will be our 10th season in the AFL competition, providing the perfect opportunity to reflect on how far we've come over the past decade and celebrate everything we've achieved so far."
The Giants will host Essendon in Canberra on Friday, March 5 in a pre-season clash, with GWS set to face the Gold Coast Suns in an AFLW game at Manuka Oval a day later.
GWS have regularly brought AFLW games to Canberra - 2020 being an exception due to the Twenty20 cricket World Cup.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
