The AFL has confirmed that the postponed Opening Round match between the Brisbane Lions and Geelong has been rescheduled for Round 3 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season and the game between the Gold Coast SUNS and Essendon has been set for Round 24.

The Brisbane and Geelong game will be played at 6.35pm (local time) on Saturday night of Round 3 when both teams already have a scheduled bye.

The Gold Coast and Essendon game will be played as part of Round 24 in addition to their currently scheduled Round 24 matches against Carlton and Port Adelaide respectively, with a view to maximising the breaks between the Round 24 game, the rescheduled game and the first final.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said: “When looking at the rescheduling of these matches we had a focus on having the least amount of disruption on the competition, ensuring that all clubs still have a mid-season bye and managing travel arrangements across the season – particularly for the four impacted clubs.

“I would like to thank our clubs, broadcasters and venues for their cooperation during this unprecedented situation and our thoughts remain with our staff, players, fans and all those in southeast Queensland and northern NSW that may be impacted.”

The Round 24 floating fixture, including the rescheduled match, will be announced in a similar timeline in previous seasons.