Sunday night’s Opening Round clash at the MCG is already shaping as one of the hottest tickets in town, but the action won’t be limited to what happens on the field.

From the moment fans arrive at Yarra Park, there will be plenty to see, hear and experience before the first bounce.

The Saints Get Loud Zone, located between Gates 2 and 3, will be the perfect place to get into the footy spirit. Fans can create their own custom footy card in the Chery photo booth, jump into the red, white and black with Saints face painting artists, or try their luck at the Westinghouse activation for a chance to win a signed 2026 guernsey.

Adding to the atmosphere, marching bands from Melbourne Youth Orchestras can be found on the concourse between Gates 1 and 2, helping build the energy before fans head inside the ground. Those looking to complete their game-day look can also swing by Saints Locker outside Gate 2 to grab the latest merchandise.

Once inside the MCG, the entertainment continues.

Saints legend Nick Riewoldt may hold the record for the most marks in AFL history, but on Sunday night he’ll be hoping to help create a new one. Triple M’s Million Dollar Mark will take centre stage at 6.52pm, with lucky entrants attempting to take a grab that could see them walk away with $1 million.

A handful of Saints supporters will also experience the game like never before. Eight lucky fans will be selected for the ultimate night at the footy in the exclusive O-Wens Bar on the Ponsford Stage, complete with premium seats and readily available food and drinks, hosted by the Marmalade crew.

The entertainment doesn’t stop there.

With a fresh and energised squad ready for the season ahead, the Saints will unveil a brand new team run-out ritual designed to get the crowd involved. Led by Riewoldt alongside Ollie Geale and viral Saints fan Amber, supporters will be invited to take part in the club’s new call-and-response moment when the Saints take the field.

And for anyone not quite ready to farewell summer, there will also be a chance to win a trip to Fiji at half time thanks to Tourism Fiji and Virgin Australia.

With a blockbuster game, plenty of entertainment and a sea of red, white and black expected to fill the MCG, Sunday night promises to be a memorable way to kick off the AFL season.

Tickets are selling fast. Secure your seat via Ticketek today.

Game day schedule

Ticket boxes open: 4:15pm

MCC Gates Open: 4:45pm

Saints Get Loud Zone (between gates 2 & 3): 5:00pm

Gates Open: 5:30pm

Saints Locker (outside gate 2): 5:30pm

Melbourne Youth Orchestras concourse roaming: from 6:00pm

Player On-field Warm Up: 6.35pm

Million Dollar Mark: 6:52pm

Team Entry & Knock Knock O’Clock: 7:07pm

First Bounce: 7:20pm

CHAOS. Simply chaos.

Big goals, a pinging footy, a roaring crowd, and a smattering of tension, St Kilda and Collingwood closed Opening Round in an enthralling fashion.

Ultimately, it was Collingwood who came away with the four points, posting an 11.12 (78) to 9.12 (66) victory in Victoria’s only clash of the weekend.

With a bucketful of expectation, St Kilda fans turned out to the MCG in numbers to help the side to its biggest home and away crowd in history, with 82,528 people through the turnstiles.

A combination of fast footy and brute force left tensions bubbling throughout the game, with Saint Hugo Garcia and Pie Brayden Maynard regular instigators of spotfires. Former St Kilda forward Tim Membrey also had some words with his ex-teammates as the sides parted at the main break.

While the intent to play an attacking brand of footy to balance its historically defensive style was evident from St Kilda, it was let down by poor decision making and execution in the front half.

Early in the piece, there was a clear clash of styles at play. St Kilda was a little stagnant – well-structured and working hard to be measured in its ball use – while Collingwood slung the footy from its back half like a bull at a gate.

Flicking the ball by hand at pace, the Pies were able to create a number of dangerous opportunities close to goal thanks to the space afforded by such speed. The Saints, although equalling the inside 50 count at 11 for the term, was forced to work in congestion and its entries didn't necessarily offer their forward best opportunity to leap at the footy.

That all changed after the first break, however, as the home side turned its forward pressure all the way up, and its capacity to win the ball from the middle meant impressive territory control and a neatly set up intercepting layer 80m from goal. New addition Jack Silvagni (nine intercepts) and freshly minted co-captains Callum Wilkie (nine intercepts, two contested marks), and Jack Sinclair (35 disposals, seven intercepts) led the way for the line.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (19 disposals, one goal) shifted to half-back to offer the Saints some dash from defence.

Nas has his moment
Arguably the most discussed contract of 2025, St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera opened the first game of the celebrated extension with Pie Harry Perryman in tow. Not a tight tag per se, but an annoyance nonetheless. While it did hamper some of Wanganeen-Milera's signature dash and movement through the contest, he was always going to have his crowd-lifting moment. In the second quarter as the Saints were focused on jabbing the Pies back, Wanganeen-Milera gathered a ground ball in congestion inside 50, and with a calm snap around the body, put through a statement goal into the St Kilda cheer squad. As the heaving crowd roared, the No.7 let his teammates know what it meant.

The hope of new additions
St Kilda has remained a key talking point since October, with its busy trade period that bore Carlton pair Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, West Coast premiership player Liam Ryan, and Gold Coast ball winner Sam Flanders. The quartet all made their debut in the red, white, and black on Sunday night and made their mark in their own way. De Koning took the bulk of the ruck duties, going toe-to-toe with Pies best and fairest winner Darcy Cameron, while also flying for some impressive contested marks. Silvagni filled the key defensive gap created by Dougal Howard’s absence with aplomb. Ryan's speed on the wings gave the Saints' ball movement a different look. And Flanders helped to balance a now-dynamic midfield contingent.

ST KILDA             2.4   5.7   7.10     9.12 (66)
COLLINGWOOD   4.3   5.5   10.10   11.12 (78)

GOALS
St Kilda: Owens 2, Sharman 2, Hall, Higgins, Hill, Ryan, Wanganeen-Milera
Collingwood: De Goey 3, Schultz 2, McCreery 2, Cameron, Elliott, McStay, Steele

BEST 
St Kilda: Sinclair, Flanders, Wanganeen-Milera, Owens, Silvagni
Collingwood: J.Daicos, N.Daicos, Pendlebury, Cameron, De Goey, Schultz

INJURIES
St Kilda: Marshall (concussion)
Collingwood: Nil

Crowd: 82,528 at the MCG