Double-headers dominate final AFL fixtures

Maddy Prespakis will be hoping to take part in the Bomber's historic clash with the Swans in Sydney. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

The AFL is confident a late reshuffle of the AFLW fixture alongside the final two rounds of the men's regular season strikes a balance between shaping the inaugural wildcard round and allowing fans to attend both leagues.

Just three weeks out from round 23, the AFL on Wednesday confirmed the dates and times.

Four double-headers with AFLW matches will complete the final two rounds of the AFL home-and-away season.

The women's season will start with a standalone Thursday match between Hawthorn and Melbourne on August 13, before Fremantle host Adelaide in a blockbuster opening to round 23 the following night.

It will be the first and only AFL round this season not to feature a Thursday night game.

Charlie Spargo. — All four sides representing the Cats and Kangaroos will be in action on a bumper night next month. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

There will be four double-headers with men's and women's matches, starting with North Melbourne and Geelong playing each other in the AFLW and AFL at Marvel Stadium on August 15.

The Kangaroos will also feature in a double-header the following week, the AFL team facing Sydney at the SCG after the Swans' AFLW match against Essendon.

Several AFLW games were moved on Wednesday to attempt to avoid clashes between club's men's and women's teams.

The exception is Essendon's AFL clash with Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Sunday August 16, when their AFLW team will play Brisbane at Windy Hill earlier in the day.

"Obviously, in an ideal world, you create separation so you can watch both of those games, and there was the one outlier in the Essendon game," chief operations officer Tom Harley said.

"It's unavoidable because of all the other complications you've got to put into that.

"But I think it's fantastic. I mean, there was a clear appetite as part of the new strategy for AFLW to have double headers and it has added a layer of complexity but also intrigue and excitement.

"... The back end of these two fixtures and the double headers with AFLW are very much focused on getting the balance right between footy and fans.

"We want to provide as many opportunities as possible to get fans of all the clubs, whether it be AFL or AFLW, to those games."

In a first for the AFL era, two men's matches will be played at the MCG on the same day.

In round 23, Richmond and St Kilda will play an early match at the MCG on August 14, before Hawthorn and Collingwood gear up for finals action when they face off at the same venue later that night.