Sydney's round-eight game against North Melbourne is prominent among several grudge matches. Shortly after Nick Blakey was traded from the Swans to the Kangaroos this month, Papley posted on social media.
"Love him like a brother, but Mr Dillon please put out the fixture ASAP," the Sydney veteran had said.
Prized Hawthorn recruit Zach Merrett is likewise scheduled to face his old club Essendon in round three.
The AFL had already pumped up star Western Bulldogs signing Zak Butters versus Port Adelaide two days ago when it revealed Adelaide's Gather Round games.
Sydney, three-peat premiers Brisbane, beaten grand finalists Fremantle and flag hopefuls Hawthorn and Adelaide will all feature heavily in the prime-time slots.
Nine of Sydney's first 15 matches are scheduled for either a Thursday or Friday night. There could be more prime-time love for the Swans after that, with the AFL yet to release the exact dates of matches beyond round 16.
Sydney will open the season on Wednesday, March 17, against Geelong at the SCG.
Merrett's trade away from Essendon was more than a year in the making, with the Bombers' refusal to let him leave at the end of 2025 leaving a sour taste in his mouth.
The 31-year-old eventually got his wish during the recent trade period, and the star midfielder will go up against the Bombers on a Saturday night, April 3 at the MCG.
The climax to Gather Round will come on April 11, when Port host the Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval and Butters cops a frosty reception from diehard Power supporters.
AFL games record-holder Scott Pendlebury's move from Collingwood to Gold Coast threw up an interesting stat.
Pendlebury played in 11 venues across his glittering 442-game career at Collingwood.
Next year, Gold Coast have been fixtured to play in a whopping 13 different venues across the opening 16 rounds alone, with Pendlebury having to wait until round 15 to face the Pies.
Former GWS captain Toby Greene, who was traded to the Cats, will face the Giants at ENGIE Stadium in round seven, while former Lions star Lachie Neale has the chance to run out for Collingwood against Brisbane in the Easter Thursday match at the Gabba in round two.
In terms of prime-time Thursday and Friday night matches, Brisbane and Fremantle receive eight each, while the Hawks and Crows (seven) and Collingwood and Geelong (six) also get plenty of love.
St Kilda are the only team to not get a marquee Thursday or Friday night slot in the first 16 rounds.
The grand-final rematch between Fremantle and Brisbane will take place at Optus Stadium on Sunday, May 9.
AFL scheduling boss Lauren Cranstoun and chief operating officer Tom Harley fronted the media after the fixture was released, saying it is one for the fans.
"We've absolutely listened to the fans ... we think we've delivered a fixture for the fans," Harley said.
To that end, they noted no byes in the first 10 rounds and less bye rounds overall, Thursday night games each week, and no Opening Round.
The polarising Opening Round concept appears to have been shelved, rather than binned, with Harley noting Tasmania's entry in 2028.
There will be 13 Sunday night games, up from eight this season. Cranston said this timeslot had been better attended this year than Sunday twilight matches.
The current broadcast rights deal again means no free-to-air games on Saturday afternoon - another bugbear of fans.
Cranstoun and Harley said 85 per cent of games remain available for fans who don't have pay TV.
Daylight saving means Fremantle's round-one home game against the Western Bulldogs on Thursday will be a 5pm start, meaning a challenge for local fans to attend.
"Not for us to check the absentee rollout of organisations in Perth, but I suspect they might be slightly elevated that day," Harley said.
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