Manuka Oval will host a record four AFL matches in 2022, including Giants' superstar Toby Greene's eagerly anticipated comeback from suspension in round six against St Kilda.
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The Friday night contest, which could feature up to four Canberra juniors as well as Greene, will kick-start the AFL's ANZAC round on April 22 as one of a quartet of matches set to be announced for footy-starved fans in the capital when the league releases its full fixture on Thursday.
Recently drafted Queanbeyan youngster Josh Fahey could potentially feature in the clash alongside new GWS teammate and Canberra junior Tom Green while St Kilda will boast local pair Jack Steele and Tom Highmore.
For Canberra-based Giants fans, the 2022 fixture is a massive coup after just two AFL matches were played in the capital over the past two years due to the COVID pandemic.
That prompted GWS and the ACT government to agree a one-year extension to the $23m partnership signed when the Giants entered the AFL. Next season marks the final year of that deal, and the government is believed to be in advanced negotiations with the club about signing another long-term agreement.
Government officials had been keen to bring an extra game to the capital in 2022 as compensation and the Giants have made good on that request, further strengthening the club's bond with the ACT.
The Giants also appear to have had their request granted for a winter day-time match in Canberra, to try and avoid a repeat of the infamous snow game at the venue against Hawthorn in 2019 on a freezing night in the capital.
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"We got zero in 2020 and only two in 2021 so four would be awesome," Green said.
"We really see it as a home ground advantage and we see it as our second home. We really love playing in Canberra - the Giants traditionally have a really good record on Manuka.
"They're games I certainly look forward to every single year. There's nothing better playing on your home deck and Manuka's a world class oval.
"The Giants are really lucky to have that as their second home and we really see that as a fortress."
Green returned to preseason training with his Giants teammates on Monday, sporting some extra padding on the arm he broke in last season's one-point elimination final win over the Sydney Swans.
That match also cost 28-year-old Greene a six-match suspension for making contact with the umpire, a ban that started at three games before the AFL Appeals Board doubled the punishment.
"We'll sorely miss him through that first month and a bit of the season, but it'll be great to have him back [in round six] and it'll be a treat for Canberra," Green said.