• League to make call on opening match in Brisbane on Thursday
• Lions-Geelong clash could be rescheduled for round-three bye

AFL officials are considering delaying the start of the new season due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which is forecast to make landfall near Brisbane around the time of the first bounce in the opener between the Lions and Geelong at the Gabba on Thursday.

Promotion for this week’s opening round begins on Monday with a press conference in Sydney with AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon, along with players from the Swans, Giants, Hawthorn and Collingwood who are in action in first-round fixtures in New South Wales.