WEST Coast and the Western Bulldogs will kickstart the 2016 Toyota AFL Finals Series in a fortnight with a sudden-death Thursday night elimination final at Domain Stadium.
The AFL has announced the fixture for the first week of the finals, with the sixth-placed Eagles and seventh-placed Bulldogs to do battle in the second elimination final on Thursday, September 8 at 6.10pm WST (8.10pm EST).
2016 Toyota AFL Finals Series, Week One
Thursday September 8, 6.10pm at Domain Stadium
Second elimination final - West Coast v Western Bulldogs
Friday September 9, 7.50pm at the MCG
Second qualifying final - Geelong v Hawthorn
Saturday September 10, 3.20pm at ANZ Stadium
First qualifying final - Sydney Swans v Greater Western Sydney
Saturday September 10, 7.10pm at Adelaide Oval
First elimination final - Adelaide v North Melbourne
(All times local)
The Eagles secured a home final courtesy of their surprise 29-point win over Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The finals opener will see the injury-ravaged Bulldogs travel to Perth twice in a fortnight following their 20-point loss to Fremantle to end the regular season.
Last year's runners up, the Eagles, put the disappointment of losing their key ruckman Nic Naitanui (knee) for the year behind them, with experienced campaigner Jonathan Giles stepping in against the Crows and working in tandem with Scott Lycett.
The Eagles will fancy their chances having beaten top-eight sides GWS, Hawthorn and Adelaide in the last three rounds, while the Bulldogs will be hoping to regain stand-in skipper Easton Wood (ankle).
The finals take centre stage in Melbourne on Friday night, with a mouth-watering second qualifying final between second-placed Geelong and third-placed Hawthorn at the MCG.
The blockbuster takes place on September 9, with the first bounce set for 7.50pm EST.
The Cats secured a top-two spot after their 111-point win over Melbourne at Simonds Stadium on Saturday, while the Hawks claimed the all-important double chance with a thrilling one-point win over Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday.
Should the Hawks go all the way again this year, they will become the first team since the Collingwood squad of 1927-30 to claim four consecutive premierships.
Minor premiers, the Sydney Swans, renew hostilities against cross-town rival Greater Western Sydney in the first qualifying final at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, September 10 at 3.20pm EST.
Giants coach Leon Cameron's men will embark on their first finals series since joining the AFL in 2012.
The Swans enter the clash having annihilated Richmond by 113 points at the SCG on Saturday, while the Giants also tasted victory in round 23 with a 37-point triumph over injury-hit North Melbourne.
On Thursday, the AFL reached an agreement with ANZ Stadium to play the Swans' home finals at the SCG, with the exception of a Sydney derby, given the game will likely attract a crowd in excess of the 48,000 capacity at the SCG.
The first weekend of finals will end at Adelaide Oval, when Adelaide hosts eighth-placed North Melbourne in a do-or-die first elimination final on Saturday night, September 10 at 7.10pm CST (7.40pm EST).
The Crows slipped from second to fourth position on the ladder after their shock home loss to West Coast on Friday night and dropped to fifth after Hawthorn prevailed over Collingwood.
In their last encounter in round 14, Adelaide took the points over North Melbourne with a 33-point win at Adelaide Oval.
The Kangaroos will be eager to welcome back forward Jarrad Waite (hip) and defender Scott Thompson (adductor), while fellow backman Sam Wright (ankle) and tagger Ben Jacobs (foot) will also be in the mix.
