'Line in the sand' rivals Essendon and Hawthorn begin their AFL seasons at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams struggled to make an impression in pre-season and will be keen to kick their 2024 campaigns off with a win.
What time is the AFL today? Essendon vs. Hawthorn start time
Saturday's game between the Bombers and Hawks is scheduled to start at 1:45pm AEDT on Saturday, March 16 .
The game will be played at the MCG in Melbourne.
| Timezone | AEDT | ACDT | AEST | ACST | AWST |
| Start time | 1:45pm | 1:15pm | 12:45pm | 12:15pm | 10:45am |
How to watch or live stream Essendon vs. Hawthorn
| Region | Melbourne | Sydney | Adelaide | Brisbane | Perth | Tasmania | Darwin |
| Channel | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy |
| Broadcast time | 1:30pm | 1:30pm | 1:00pm | 12:30pm | 10:30am | 1:30pm | 12:00pm |
This match, and every match across the home-and-away season, will be available for live streaming and replay on Kayo Sports.
Essendon vs. Hawthorn betting odds
Per bookmaker TAB, Essendon are $1.77 favourites, with Hawthorn the underdogs at $2.05.
Essendon vs. Hawthorn Round 1 team lists
Essendon
In: NA
Out: NA
New: Ben McKay, Jade Gresham, Todd Goldstein, Xavier Duursma
Hawthorn
In: NA
Out: NA
New: Mabior Chol, Jack Ginnivan, Massimo D'Ambrosio, Nick Watson
