Sports · Asia Pacific

AFL schedules Sydney to host North Melbourne in round eight

The AFL released its 2027 fixture, scheduling Sydney to play North Melbourne at the SCG in round eight. The game is set for May 8, with Nick Blakey facing his former team.

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2 outletsLatest reporting Oct 29, 3:57 AM UTC2 min read

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What happened

Key facts

The AFL released its full 2027 fixture on October 29, 2026 (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
Sydney is scheduled to play North Melbourne at the SCG in round eight on May 8 (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
The round-eight game will see Sydney face former player Nick Blakey, now with North Melbourne (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
Hawthorn and Adelaide each have four Friday-night games in the 2027 fixture (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
Collingwood has three Thursday-night games and three Friday-night games (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
Geelong has three primetime games in the 2027 fixture (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
Hawthorn is scheduled to play Essendon at the MCG on April 3, the Saturday night of round three (per The Sydney Morning Herald).

The brief

The AFL has scheduled Sydney to host North Melbourne at the SCG in round eight of the 2027 season, with the match set for May 8. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the fixture was released on October 29, 2026, and that former Sydney player Nick Blakey will face his former team in the game.

The publication described Sydney as a primetime leader in the schedule and characterized the Blakey match-up as a grudge game. The fixture details establish the venue, round and date; the Herald's description supplies its framing of the match. The game is one element of the full season schedule, which the AFL released as a 2027 fixture.

The Herald also reported the distribution of several evening broadcast slots. Hawthorn and Adelaide each have four Friday-night games, while Geelong has three primetime games. Collingwood is scheduled for three Thursday-night games and three Friday-night games, giving it six games across those two slots.

AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley said the fixture was intended to give fans a strong chance to watch leading matches in marquee times. The Herald quoted Harley saying that the first three games of the season would feature teams that finished in the 2026 top four in standalone primetime slots.

Harley also said the AFL had worked to put prominent match-ups on Thursday and Friday nights at the start of each round, and to schedule a 2026 finalist for each Saturday night in the first half of the 2027 season. Another scheduled match highlighted by the Herald is Hawthorn against Essendon at the MCG on April 3, the Saturday night of round three.

The publication said the game would be Zach Merrett's first scheduled meeting with his former club since joining Hawthorn. It also reported that Merrett had captained Essendon and won seven best-and-fairest awards there.

The round-eight Sydney-North Melbourne fixture therefore features a former Sydney player, while the broader schedule includes multiple Thursday-, Friday- and Saturday-night games. The AFL's stated scheduling aims, as relayed by Harley, include prime-time access for top-four teams from 2026 and prominent match-ups across the opening rounds.

Why it matters

Sydney's round-eight home fixture puts North Melbourne and former Sydney player Nick Blakey on the SCG schedule for May 8.
The slot allocations show how the 2027 fixture distributes evening games: Hawthorn and Adelaide each have four Friday-night matches, and Collingwood has six Thursday- or Friday-night matches.
Harley identified prime-time access for 2026 top-four teams and prominent match-ups as aims for the fixture.

What to watch next

Whether Sydney and North Melbourne meet at the SCG on the scheduled May 8 round-eight date.
The scheduled Hawthorn-Essendon match at the MCG on April 3.
How the season's Thursday-, Friday- and Saturday-night fixtures align with the AFL scheduling aims Harley described.

How it's being covered

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Where the outlets are based: Asia 100%

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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.

1894
The SCG’s football history predates Sydney’s arrival: it hosted its first VFL match in 1894, when South Melbourne played Carlton.
Background · from our historical context
1897
The Victorian Football League began with South Melbourne among its founding clubs.
Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
1925
North Melbourne joined the Victorian Football League.
Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
1982
Sydney’s home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, has hosted the club since it relocated from Melbourne in 1982.
Background · from our historical context
1990
The competition became the Australian Football League in 1990, as it expanded beyond Victoria; the Swans’ move to Sydney had already made them the league’s first Sydney-based club.
Background · from our historical context
2018
Sydney selected Nick Blakey with the 10th pick in the national draft.
Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
2019
Nick Blakey made his senior debut for Sydney.
Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

The matchup’s personal history began with Nick Blakey’s AFL career at Sydney: the Swans selected him with pick 10 in the 2018 national draft, and he made his senior debut in 2019. Sydney’s home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, has hosted the club since it relocated from Melbourne in 1982.

North Melbourne joined the Victorian Football League in 1925, while Sydney’s predecessor, South Melbourne, was among the league’s founding clubs in 1897. The competition became the Australian Football League in 1990, as it expanded beyond Victoria; the Swans’ move to Sydney had already made them the league’s first Sydney-based club.