Port Adelaide and Hawthorn’s rivalry is ready to be reignited at subsequent season’s AFL Gather Round, with the 2 golf equipment drawn to face off seven months after the Power ended the Hawks’ surprising finals run. In what was a back-and-forth recreation, Port Adelaide prevailed by three factors in some of the thrilling video games of the 2024 finals sequence.
But to many the sport shall be remembered for the fiery post-game confrontation between Power coach Ken Hinkley and Hawthorn captain James Sicily. The pair got here to blows after Hinkley determined to taunt Jack Ginnivan after the tense win, sparking ugly scenes at Adelaide Oval and ensuing within the veteran coach being retrospectively slapped with a $20,000 wonderful for his actions.
Hinkley apologised in his post-match press convention for making an aeroplane gesture and yelling out âYouâre not flying, Jackâ, in reference to Ginnivan’s social media put up that precipitated uproar within the lead-up to the sport. The 21-year-old confronted backlash for his cocky reply to a put up from Swans star Brodie Grundy that stated: “See u in 14 days”, suggesting the Hawks would eliminate the Power and play Sydney within the preliminary last with ease.
After all the things that went down, the rematch between the 2 groups was at all times promised to be one of many extra eagerly anticipated video games of 2025, however placing it on the Sunday night time ensures AFL followers round Australia will tune in because the third Gather Round involves a detailed. And whereas veteran journalist Gerard Whately recommended the AFL’s determination to pit the 2 rivals towards each other within the Gather Round climax, he believes it’s only proper for the AFL to present Hinkley his $20,000 again as in any other case everybody utilizing the post-game interplay as promotion is hypocritical.
“The AFL has become the WWE which is in no way a criticism. They are promoters and they have the hottest product in town,” Whately stated on SEN radio. “They have the capacity to handpick blockbuster cards featuring the hottest rivalries so when the opportunity came to harness bad blood and trash talk, you put them in the cage and let them rip in the biggest environment available.
“Fixturing Port Adelaide and Hawthorn the climax of Gather Round was irresistible. It was the most important lock of the 2025 fixture checklist… So when it got here to picking the most important recreation on the AFL’s new showpiece spherical, it was at all times going to be Port Adelaide towards Hawthorn as certainly as Hulk Hogan and the Rock have been destined to headline Wrestlemania.
“It’s what we all want, it’s what the WWE would do and it’s precisely what they (the AFL) should be doing, giving the people what they want. But just as long as Andrew Dillon travelled to Adelaide this morning with a $20,000 cheque refunding Ken Hinkley for the ludicrous unbecoming fine the league imposed on him in December… Because it would be the worst kind of hypocrisy wouldn’t it, to come down so heavily on the coach for bringing the game into serious disrepute and then using the incident to headline the biggest card of next year.”
Gather Round fixtures locked in for 2025
Whately’s feedback come after Dillon revealed the total fixtures for subsequent 12 months’s Gather Round. The AFL boss stated the pageant of soccer in South Australia had developed a “unique feel of a grand final week” and shall be right here to remain as he revealed the 9 video games for the April showcase.
“Gather Round is the best of our game, a celebration of footy like no other,” he stated. The spherical will start on Thursday night time, April 10, with Adelaide internet hosting preliminary finalists Geelong.
After enjoying strugglers West Coast in Mt Barker this 12 months, crushed grand finalists Sydney will play Collingwood in a Friday night time blockbuster on the Adelaide Oval. Reigning premiers Brisbane will return to Norwood Oval for the second straight 12 months after they conflict with the Western Bulldogs.
As beforehand introduced, the Barossa Valley will host AFL video games for the primary time, changing Mt Barker in Gather Round. North Melbourne and Gold Coast will play within the inaugural match at Barossa Park, with Richmond and Fremantle to play on the venue on Sunday.
Gather Round 2025 fixtures:
Thursday, April 10
Adelaide v Geelong, Adelaide Oval
Friday, April 11
Collingwood v Sydney, Adelaide Oval
Saturday, April 12
Carlton v West Coast, Adelaide Oval
North Melbourne v Gold Coast, Barossa Park
Western Bulldogs v Brisbane, Norwood Oval
Essendon v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval
Sunday, April 13
Richmond v Fremantle, Barossa Park
St Kilda v GWS, Norwood Oval
Port Adelaide v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval
with AAP
