Tuesday 6 September 2011
Friday night’s AFL qualifying final blockbuster between Geelong and Hawthorn at the MCG will be shown live in Brisbane on ‘7mate’ from 7.30pm.
The move is a preview to the new AFL broadcast rights deal, set to kick in next year, under which 7mate will carry all Friday night games live.
AFL Queensland CEO Richard Griffiths applauded the move by Channel 7 to provide live free-to-air coverage of the eagerly awaited clash between the Cats and the Hawks.
“It’s a fantastic initiative that I’m sure will be welcomed by the football public,” he said.
“There’s always something special about the first game of a new finals series and this could quite possibly be the best game of the finals so it’s great to open it up to a wider viewing audience.”
The 7mate coverage on Friday night means all matches in Week 1 of the Toyota AFL Finals Series will be live in Brisbane.
Saturday’s Collingwood – West Coast qualifying final at the MCG will be shown live on Channel 10 from 2pm, while the St.Kilda – Sydney elimination final at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night will be live on Channel 10 from 2pm.
To round out a monster weekend, Sunday’s Carlton-Essendon elimination final at the MCG will be live on Channel 7 from 2.30pm.
