Port Adelaide and Hawthorn’s rivalry is able to be reignited at subsequent season’s AFL Gather Round, with the two golf tools drawn to face off seven months after the Power ended the Hawks’ shocking finals run. In what was a back-and-forth recreation, Port Adelaide prevailed by three elements in a number of the thrilling video video games of the 2024 finals sequence.
But to many the game shall be remembered for the fiery post-game confrontation between Power coach Ken Hinkley and Hawthorn captain James Sicily. The pair obtained right here to blows after Hinkley decided to taunt Jack Ginnivan after the tense win, sparking ugly scenes at Adelaide Oval and ensuing inside the veteran coach being retrospectively slapped with a $20,000 great for his actions.
Hinkley apologised in his post-match press conference for making an aeroplane gesture and yelling out “You’re not flying, Jack”, in reference to Ginnivan’s social media put up that precipitated uproar inside the lead-up to the game. The 21-year-old confronted backlash for his cocky reply to a put up from Swans star Brodie Grundy that acknowledged: “See u in 14 days”, suggesting the Hawks would remove the Power and play Sydney inside the preliminary final with ease.
After all of the issues that went down, the rematch between the two teams was always promised to be one in every of many further eagerly anticipated video video games of 2025, nonetheless inserting it on the Sunday night time time ensures AFL followers spherical Australia will tune in as a result of the third Gather Round includes an in depth. And whereas veteran journalist Gerard Whately really helpful the AFL’s dedication to pit the two rivals in direction of one another inside the Gather Round climax, he believes it’s solely correct for the AFL to current Hinkley his $20,000 once more as in some other case everyone using the post-game interaction 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 acknowledged on SEN radio. “They have the capability to handpick blockbuster playing cards that includes the most well liked rivalries so when the chance got here to harness dangerous blood and trash discuss, you set them within the cage and allow them to rip within the largest surroundings accessible.
“Fixturing Port Adelaide and Hawthorn the climax of Gather Round was irresistible. It was an important lock of the 2025 fixture guidelines… So when it obtained right here to selecting an important recreation on the AFL’s new showpiece spherical, it was always going to be Port Adelaide in direction of Hawthorn as definitely 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 suggestions come after Dillon revealed the whole fixtures for subsequent 12 months’s Gather Round. The AFL boss acknowledged the pageant of soccer in South Australia had developed a “unique feel of a grand final week” and shall be proper right here to stay as he revealed the 9 video video games for the April showcase.
“Gather Round is the best of our game, a celebration of footy like no other,” he acknowledged. The spherical will begin on Thursday night time time, April 10, with Adelaide web internet hosting preliminary finalists Geelong.
After having fun with strugglers West Coast in Mt Barker this 12 months, crushed grand finalists Sydney will play Collingwood in a Friday night time time blockbuster on the Adelaide Oval. Reigning premiers Brisbane will return to Norwood Oval for the second straight 12 months after they battle with the Western Bulldogs.
As beforehand launched, the Barossa Valley will host AFL video video games for the first time, altering Mt Barker in Gather Round. North Melbourne and Gold Coast will play inside 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
