A STAND-alone opener featuring the newly-formed Maryborough Giants and grand final rematch highlights the opening round of the 2024 Maryborough-Castlemaine District league season.
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The Giants have been born out of a merger between Maryborough Rovers and Royal Park and will play their inaugural game at Hedges Oval against Talbot on Saturday, April 6.
With two clubs banding together to form one the MCDFNL has been reduced from 14 to 13 clubs next year, re-instating a bye.
All clubs will have two byes across the 18 home and away rounds, as well as a general bye in June for the King's Birthday long weekend.
The Giants signal a new era of football/netball in Maryborough, with the club having attracted former Essendon and Brisbane Lions AFL player Damian Cupido as its inaugural coach.
The Giants have been born out of a merger between Maryborough Rovers and Royal Park and will play their inaugural game at Hedges Oval against Talbot on Saturday, April 6.
As the name suggests, the club will wear a jumper based on the GWS Giants' away strip - charcoal colored with an orange G.
Following the Giants-Talbot clash, round one will be completed the following weekend with five games.
Among those five games is the grand final re-match between Harcourt and Carisbrook at Harcourt.
Harcourt and Carisbrook have met in the past two grand finals, with the Lions winning both games by 11 points last year and eight points in 2022.
The Lions will enter the 2024 season riding a 27-game winning streak having won their last eight matches of 2022 before going through 2023 19-0.
Carl Thiez has taken over as senior coach of Harcourt having this year coached Marong's reserves to an undefeated premiership in the Loddon Valley league.
With a bye in round one Trentham will have to wait until April 20 to play its first game. The Saints will host the Giants in round two.
All teams will play 16 home and away games, playing four teams two times and eight teams once.
The season will culminate with the grand final on Saturday, September 14.
WHO EACH CLUB PLAYS TWO TIMES:
AVOCA - Campbells Creek, Navarre, Talbot, Trentham.
CAMPBELLS CREEK - Avoca, Dunolly, Navarre, Newstead.
CARISBROOK - Lexton, Natte Bealiba, Navarre, Trentham.
DUNOLLY - Campbells Creek, Lexton, Natte Bealiba, Talbot.
HARCOURT - Maldon, Maryborough Giants, Natte Bealiba, Trentham.
LEXTON - Carisbrook, Dunolly, Maldon, Maryborough Giants.
MALDON - Harcourt, Lexton, Newstead, Talbot.
MARYBOROUGH GIANTS - Harcourt, Lexton, Newstead, Talbot.
NATTE BEALIBA - Carisbrook, Dunolly, Harcourt, Navarre.
NAVARRE - Avoca, Campbells Creek, Carisbrook, Natte Bealiba.
NEWSTEAD - Campbells Creek, Maldon, Maryborough Giants, Trentham.
TALBOT - Avoca, Dunolly, Maldon, Maryborough Giants.
TRENTHAM - Avoca, Carisbrook, Harcourt, Newstead.
SEASON FIXTURE:
ROUND 1
Saturday, April 6
Maryborough Giants v Talbot
Saturday, April 13
Avoca v Natte Bealiba
Navarre v Campbells Creek
Harcourt v Carisbrook
Newstead v Dunolly
Lexton v Maldon
Trentham bye
ROUND 2
Saturday, April 20
Trentham v Maryborough Giants
Talbot v Avoca
Newstead v Harcourt
Dunolly v Navarre
Natte Bealiba v Lexton
Maldon v Carisbrook
Campbells Creek bye
ROUND 3
Saturday, April 27
Avoca v Newstead
Carisbrook v Campbells Creek
Harcourt v Dunolly
Lexton v Talbot
Maldon v Maryborough Giants
Navarre v Trentham
Natte Bealiba bye
ROUND 4
Saturday, May 4
Dunolly v Avoca
Campbells Creek v Maldon
Carisbrook v Newstead
Maryborough Giants v Lexton
Trentham v Harcourt
Natte Bealiba v Navarre
Talbot bye
ROUND 5
Saturday, May 11
Newstead v Maldon
Talbot v Natte Bealiba
Avoca v Trentham
Lexton v Carisbrook
Harcourt v Maryborough Giants
Campbells Creek v Dunolly
Navarre bye
ROUND 6
Saturday, May 18
Carisbrook v Avoca
Natte Bealiba v Campbells Creek
Maryborough Giants v Dunolly
Maldon v Harcourt
Navarre v Lexton
Trentham v Talbot
Newstead bye
ROUND 7
Saturday, May 25
Trentham v Campbells Creek
Talbot v Harcourt
Lexton v Newstead
Avoca v Navarre
Dunolly v Natte Bealiba
Maryborough Giants v Carisbrook
Maldon bye
ROUND 8
Saturday, June 1
Campbells Creek v Avoca
Carisbrook v Talbot
Maldon v Dunolly
Newstead v Maryborough Giants
Natte Bealiba v Trentham
Harcourt v Navarre
Lexton bye
ROUND 9
Saturday, June 15
Avoca v Maldon
Campbells Creek v Lexton
Navarre v Carisbrook
Talbot v Dunolly
Maryborough Giants v Natte Bealiba
Trentham v Newstead
Harcourt bye
ROUND 10
Saturday, June 22
Dunolly v Trentham
Talbot v Maldon
Newstead v Navarre
Carisbrook v Natte Bealiba
Lexton v Avoca
Harcourt v Campbells Creek
Maryborough Giants bye
ROUND 11
Saturday, June 29
Avoca v Talbot
Campbells Creek v Newstead
Carisbrook v Trentham
Navarre v Maryborough Giants
Natte Bealiba v Harcourt
Maldon v Lexton
Dunolly bye
ROUND 12
Saturday, July 6
Campbells Creek v Talbot
Maldon v Newstead
Navarre v Natte Bealiba
Lexton v Dunolly
Maryborough Giants v Harcourt
Avoca, Carisbrook, Trentham bye
ROUND 13
Saturday, July 13
Maryborough Giants v Avoca
Dunolly v Carisbrook
Harcourt v Maldon
Trentham v Lexton
Talbot v Navarre
Campbells Creek, Natte Bealiba, Newstead bye
ROUND 14
Saturday, July 20
Avoca v Harcourt
Campbells Creek v Maryborough Giants
Carisbrook v Lexton
Natte Bealiba v Dunolly
Newstead v Trentham
Navarre, Maldon, Talbot bye
ROUND 15
Saturday, July 27
Trentham v Avoca
Dunolly v Campbells Creek
Natte Bealiba v Carisbrook
Navarre v Maldon
Talbot v Newstead
Maryborough Giants, Harcourt, Lexton bye
ROUND 16
Saturday, August 3
Avoca v Campbells Creek
Carisbrook v Navarre
Lexton v Maryborough Giants
Maldon v Talbot
Newstead v Natte Bealiba
Harcourt v Trentham
Dunolly bye
ROUND 17
Saturday, August 10
Trentham v Carisbrook
Dunolly v Talbot
Maryborough Giants v Newstead
Campbells Creek v Navarre
Natte Bealiba v Maldon
Lexton v Harcourt
Avoca bye
ROUND 18
Saturday, August 17
Navarre v Avoca
Newstead v Campbells Creek
Dunolly v Lexton
Maldon v Trentham
Talbot v Maryborough Giants
Harcourt v Natte Bealiba
Carisbrook bye
FINALS
Qualifying and elimination finals
August 24 and 25
Semi finals
August 31 and September 1
Preliminary finals
September 7 and 8
Grand final
Saturday, September 14