The AFL has today confirmed the fixture for the 2022 NAB League Boys Wildcard Round.
Saturday August 27
GWV Rebels (4th) vs. Northern Knights (13th)
Mars Stadium Ballarat, 11:00am AEST
Broadcaster: NAB League app
Geelong Falcons (6th) vs. Western Jets (11th)
Mars Stadium Ballarat, 1:30pm AEST
Broadcaster: NAB League app
Sandringham Dragons (8th) vs. Murray Bushrangers (9th)
Williamstown Football Ground, 2:00pm AEST
Broadcaster: Herald Sun website
Sunday August 28
Eastern Ranges (7th) vs. Calder Cannons (10th)
Mars Stadium Ballarat, 11:00am AEST
Broadcaster: NAB League app
Oakleigh Chargers (5th) vs. Bendigo Pioneers (12th)
Mars Stadium Ballarat, 1:30pm AEST
Broadcaster: NAB League app
Ballarat’s Mars Stadium will host double-headers on both Saturday August 27 and Sunday August 28, with Williamstown Football Ground to also host one match on Saturday.
All four games at Mars Stadium will be streamed live and free on the NAB League app, while the match between Sandringham Dragons and Murray Bushrangers at Williamstown Football Ground will be streamed on the Herald Sun website.
Gippsland Power, Tasmania Devils and Dandenong Stingrays will have a week off during the Wildcard Round after finishing in the top three places on the ladder at the conclusion of the home-and-away season.
The remaining 10 teams will compete across five Wildcard games this weekend to determine which eight teams will contest the finals series.
This system gives all teams the opportunity to contest at least one additional match following the home-and-away season and is in line with the focus of the competition being on player development.
A three-week knockout finals series will commence on the weekend of September 3/4, culminating in the 2022 NAB League Boys Grand Final at IKON Park on September 16, from 5:10pm
2022 NAB League Boys Finals Series Structure
Wildcard Round
Saturday August 27 and Sunday August 28
First Wildcard Match: 4th vs 13th
Second Wildcard Match: 5th vs 12th
Third Wildcard Match: 6th vs 11th
Fourth Wildcard Match: 7th vs 10th
Fifth Wildcard Match: 8th vs 9th
Venues: Mars Stadium (double-header on Saturday and Sunday) and Williamstown Football Ground
Finals Week 1 – Quarter Finals
Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4
First Quarter Final: 1st v lowest ranked Wildcard winner
Second Quarter Final: 2nd v second-lowest ranked Wildcard winner
Third Quarter Final: 3rd v third-lowest ranked Wildcard winner
Fourth Quarter Final: fifth-lowest ranked Wildcard winner v fourth-lowest ranked Wildcard winner
Venues: IKON Park (double-header on Saturday) and Mars Stadium (double-header on Sunday)
Finals Week 2 – Preliminary Finals
Saturday September 10
First Preliminary Final: Winner of First Quarter Final vs Winner of Fourth Quarter Final
Second Preliminary Final: Winner of Second Quarter Final vs Winner of Third Quarter Final
Venue: TBA (double-header)
Finals Week 3 – Grand Final
Friday September 16
Grand Final: Winner of First Preliminary Final vs Winner of Second Preliminary Final
(IKON Park, 5:10pm)
This year the AFL is celebrating the 30-year history of the NAB League (formerly TAC Cup), the competition that has produced more AFL and AFLW players than any other in recent decades,
The boys competition was first played in 1992 as the Victorian State Football League (VSFL) Under 18s with six teams and was sponsored by the TAC up until 2018, before NAB took over naming rights.
