What’s your favourite time-slot for home games at People First Stadium?
As the SUNS prepare for what could be their only home day game this season against Essendon at 1.15pm on Saturday you could be excused for saying this is it.
Because under Damien Hardwick the SUNS have a 10-3 home record in daylight.
They lost only to finalists Fremantle and GWS in home day games last year, and to Melbourne in a ‘dead rubber’ in the penultimate game of 2024.
And last year they beat minor premiers Adelaide in a 12.20pm game, and eventual premiers Brisbane in a 1.20pm.
It’s a topic of much debate given that Saturday’s game against Essendon is the only guaranteed SUNS home day game in a confirmed fixture from Opening Round to Round 15. And the fact that there are only three ‘home’ games from Round 16-24, which be allocated a time slot in June.
They are against Collingwood in Round 17, Western Bulldogs in Round 19 and Melbourne in Round 21.
The issue of PFS timeslots raises an odd football trivia question – in 144 SUNS games at PFS since 2011 how many different time slots have their been?
The answer will surprise most – there have been no less than 47 different time-slots spread over Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The played at 7.05pm and 7.40pm on a Friday and at 25 slightly different times from 12.20pm to 7.30pm on Saturday. There have been 16 Sunday slots from 1pm to 6.10pm, and two each for the mid-week days – 7.10pm and 7.20pm on Wednesday, and 7.40pm and 8.10pm on Thursday.
Most common? There have been 23 PFS game start at 4.40pm on a Saturday, with 11 at 2.30pm 16 at 7.25pm, and 13 at 7.40pm.
Regardless of the timeslot, SUNS fans will want to make sure they’ve got the AFL Record close at hand on Saturday as a largely new-look Essendon side heads north for the first game at PFS in four weeks.
Seven Bombers have never played at PFS – Nate Caddy, Archer Day-Wicks, Tom Edwards, Jacob Farrow, Archie May, Zac Reid and Sullivan Robey.
Reid, drafted at #10 in 2020 Draft, has never even played against the Suns in 24 games. Nor have Farrow, this week’s AFL Rising Star nominee, or Sullivan Robey, who debuted last week after being the club’s first pick in the 2025 Draft at #9.
Also, six other members of the Essendon side this week have never won at PFS – Lachie Blakiston, Saad El-Hawli, Isaac Kako, Archie Roberts, Elijah Tsatas and Jayden Nguyen.
With Brayden Fiorini injured since Round 2, Peter Wright, who played 66 games in red and yellow from 2015-20, will be the only ex-SUN in the visiting side. He’s played five times against his former club for WWLLL record and four goals.
