Former Collingwood premiership player Jack Ginnivan will take on his old club in Hawthorn colours for the first time as part of the league’s Gather Round weekend in 2024, once again to be held in South Australia.
The 20-year old was sensationally traded to the Hawks just days after being part of the Pies’ 2023 grand final win over Brisbane.
The reigning premiers’ clash with the Hawks will finish off the marquee weekend, with games once again divided between Adelaide Oval (five matches), Norwood Oval (two) and Mount Barker (two).
The round begins with hosts Adelaide and Port Adelaide in Thursday and Friday night prime time slots, with the Crows to take on Melbourne and potentially face former teammate Shane McAdam, while the Power will do battle with Essendon for the first time since exchanging Xavier Duursma and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher in a last-minute AFL Trade Period deal.
The round will held from April 4-7, corresponding with Round 4 of the AFL fixture, which is set to be released in full in coming days.
The inaugural Gather Round weekend in 2023 was a raging success, with the league signing a deal with the South Australian government to keep it in the state until at least 2026.
“South Australia really turned it on, and we are excited to bring fans a bigger and better experience in 2024,” new league CEO Andrew Dillon said in a statement.
“Last year’s Gather Round had the wonderful feel of a Grand Final week, from the footy festival and the zip line over the Torrens River, to the community engagement activities and all the open training sessions the clubs held around the town, it was just an incredibly fun atmosphere which we are looking to top next season.”
After hosting just one game last season, Mount Barker’s Adelaide Hills stadium will play host to two in 2024, with Sydney to play West Coast on Saturday afternoon and Gold Coast facing GWS on Sunday.
Unlike last season, there will be just one double-header fixture at the Adelaide Oval, with Carlton playing Fremantle on Saturday afternoon leading into Geelong’s clash with the Western Bulldogs that evening.
FULL GATHER ROUND FIXTURE (all times AEST)
Thursday, April 4
Adelaide vs Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 7:40pm
Friday, April 5
Brisbane vs North Melbourne, Norwood Oval, 5:10pm
Port Adelaide vs Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 8:10pm
Saturday, April 6
Sydney vs West Coast, Mount Barker, 1:30pm
Carlton vs Fremantle, Adelaide Oval, 4:20pm
Geelong vs Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval, 8:10pm
Sunday, April 7
Gold Coast vs GWS, Mount Barker, 12:30pm
Richmond vs St Kilda, Norwood Oval, 3:20pm
Collingwood vs Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval, 5:10pm