One of the AFL’s hottest rivalries will continue in Canberra in round one next season when the GIANTS host the Western Bulldogs at UNSW Canberra Oval.

It’ll be the first time the GIANTS have opened their season at UNSW Canberra Oval which has become a happy hunting ground for the club.

Cheered on by sell out crowds in recent years, the GIANTS have won their last six games in the nation’s capital.

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The round one match will take place at 1.10pm on Sunday, March 25.

Canberra-based fans will have plenty of exciting action to attend early in the year with the Bulldogs clash coming just weeks after the JLT Community Series game against Collingwood (March 1) and an AFLW match, also against the Bulldogs, on March 10.

The GIANTS and Bulldogs have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years with plenty of player movement between the two clubs as well as some memorable and tight games.

Two of the last three games between the two clubs have been decided by six points or less and have been watched by huge television audiences on the big stages of Friday Night Football and the do-or-die Preliminary Final of 2016.

The last time the two teams met in Canberra, the GIANTS came from behind to win by two points in the club’s first ever Friday night fixture.

The round one match will also be significant for GIANTS co-captain Callan Ward with the midfielder set to pass North’s Brent Harvey as having played the most AFL games in Canberra.

The pair are currently tied on 19 games apiece at UNSW Canberra Oval with Ward set to play his 20th game at the venue in 2018.

The full 2018 AFL Premiership Season fixture is set to be announced on Tuesday, October 31.