Brisbane will open the 2027 Gather Round against Adelaide in a prime-time Thursday night game at Adelaide Oval on 8 April, and Zak Butters will face his old club Port Adelaide with the Western Bulldogs in the Sunday night game that closes the round on 11 April, under the nine-game fixture the AFL released on Monday 26 October.
The round runs from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 April 2027 across Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Barossa Park, according to the AFL’s fixture list, 7NEWS and SEN. It is round 4 of the season and falls in the school holidays, the AFL said.
Brisbane’s First Game at Adelaide Oval
Brisbane, who won a third straight premiership in September, have played Gather Round games at Mount Barker, at Norwood Oval twice and at Barossa Park, and won all four by an average of 38.5 points, 7NEWS reported. The Thursday night game will be their first Gather Round match at Adelaide Oval, according to the AFL, and it is one of three rematches from the 2026 finals, with Carlton v Melbourne and Fremantle v Hawthorn the others.
Butters Meets His Old Club
Butters joined the Bulldogs as a free agent after 156 games over eight seasons at Port Adelaide, a stretch that included time as vice-captain and as stand-in captain in 2026, 7NEWS reported.
“There was a number of factors that were in it … Zak changing in the off-season was certainly part of it,” AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said, according to the AFL. On the reception Butters can expect, Mr Dillon said: “And I’m sure that the Port Adelaide fans will remember what he did and what he’s done for Port Adelaide, but I’m sure he’ll get a welcome of sorts.”
There is a second reunion on the Sunday, when Rowan Marshall’s Geelong meet his old club St Kilda at Barossa Park.
The Full Fixture
All times are local.
Thursday 8 April: Adelaide v Brisbane, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm.
Friday 9 April: Collingwood v Sydney, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm.
Saturday 10 April: Gold Coast v GWS, Barossa Park, 12.05pm; Carlton v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 1.05pm; Richmond v West Coast, Norwood Oval, 4.05pm; Fremantle v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval, 7.15pm.
Sunday 11 April: Essendon v North Melbourne, Norwood Oval, 12pm; Geelong v St Kilda, Barossa Park, 2.45pm; Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval, 6.45pm.
North Melbourne, who have named Jaymie Graham as senior coach, start the Sunday programme against Essendon at Norwood Oval.
Opening Round has been scrapped for 2027, and the season will start later than usual, on 17 or 18 March, because the MCG is hosting the 150th anniversary Test, the AFL said.
What the Premier Asked For
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the state had asked for Brisbane at Adelaide Oval, a big Melbourne team on the Friday night and a top-four or grand final rematch on the Saturday night, SEN reported. Speaking on SEN, he said: “We wanted to see Brisbane play at the Adelaide Oval,” adding that the Lions had not played there during Gather Round.
“I don’t know who the favourite is in many of these games,” Mr Malinauskas said, calling the draw “the best Gather Round fixture that we’ve had yet.”
“Gather Round brings all 18 clubs and their fans together in South Australia and this fixture gives supporters nine exciting match-ups to look forward to across four days,” Mr Dillon said in a statement, 7NEWS reported.
Tickets, Parade and the Road to April
A new Gather Round parade will run through Adelaide on the Friday night, 9 April, finishing at the Torrens Parade Ground, SEN reported. Players from 16 clubs will take part.
Tickets go on sale on 9 and 10 December, according to the AFL.
More football news is in our AFL section.
Sources: AFL, “Gather Round fixture: Lions get primetime, Butters reunion locked in”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/news/1636048/2027-gather-round-fixture-announced-port-adelaide-to-play-western-bulldogs-three-finals-re-matches-locked-in); 7NEWS, “Gather Round fixture: Brisbane finally get primetime slot as Zak Butters grudge match locked in”, 26 October 2026 (https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/gather-round-fixture-brisbane-finally-get-primetime-slot-as-zak-butters-grudge-match-locked-in-c-23070007); SEN, “SA Premier announces Gather Round Parade amid fixture release”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.sen.com.au/news/2026/10/25/gather-round-2027-fixture-port-adelaide-to-play-western-bulldogs)
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Chappell and Sir Edwin Smith stands at Adelaide Oval, the main Gather Round venue, on a quiet February day in 2023.
