Grand final when is

When is the AFL grand final: Start times, when should it finish, how to watch and more. Tune into live sports radio as we cover all the action from across the country. Football's biggest day of the year, the AFL grand final, is finally here well almost! In a season once again affected by the COVID pandemic, with organisers having to work the schedule around lockdowns and border closures, we have completed all but one of the AFL games for season Despite the disruption, this year's decider — between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs — is returning to the normal date for the grand final of the last Saturday in September.

Here's what you need to know about the timing of this year's AFL grand final. Last year was a historic occasion as the Gabba hosted the first-ever grand final outside Victoria and the first-ever night-time decider on October 24, Because the big game is returning to the traditional "one day in September", daylight saving is not an issue this time round.

Organisers have gone for a local line-up for , with a very Western Australian feel to the show. This prompted some criticism from fans that it was too late for children to stay up and watch the end of the match and the cup being presented. The season was played with shortened quarters of 16 minutes plus time on. This year games returned to the normal quarters of 20 minutes plus time on.

Given the extra game time for , the AFL moved the start time back 15 minutes, to ensure that play wraps up around the same time as last year.

If you watch free-to-air on your TV through an antenna, you're fine. Channel Seven will broadcast the game as per usual. To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Each week for the first three weeks of the finals, two teams are eliminated. The top four teams - who were positioned 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the table at the end of the season - battle it out in the first week of the finals.

Teams 1 and 2 play these qualifying finals in their home state. If they win, they will have a bye in the second week of the finals and host the preliminary final in their home state in the third week. Significantly, the losers of these two games will NOT be eliminated from the finals series.

The bottom four teams in the finals - who were positioned 5, 6, 7, and 8 at the end of the season - are in an elimination final. Teams 5 and 6 play these elimination finals in their home state. If they win, they will play the losers of the qualifying finals. The losers of these games ARE eliminated from the finals series.

WA-based acts will headline the Grand Final entertainment, with Birds of Tokyo the main event during the extended halftime break. The sun will set by halftime and an extended halftime break will allow a performance under lights. Sunset is expected at pm local time, during the second quarter.

The players will try and be the fastest across metres, running along one of the metre arcs. A lovely Perth day is forecast for the Grand Final on Saturday September 25, with a maximum temperature of 27 degrees and partly cloudy conditions.