Richmond and North Melbourne will open the last round before the AFL finals with a Friday night clash.

The AFL is due to announce the round-23 fixture on Tuesday.

The scheduling of the last round is not set until now so the league can factor in where teams are on the ladder.

Hawthorn are set to finish in the top four and will play either Fremantle or West Coast in a qualifying final.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said it would be unfair on the two WA teams if the Hawks-Carlton was played on the Friday night, giving the reigning premiers an extra day’s break.

“Really, there are only two games you can play … it’s either Carlton-Hawthorn or Richmond-North,” McLachlan said of the Friday night match.

“With the two WA teams on top, to have Hawthorn on the Friday night getting the additional break as a likely team to play (one of them), it’s fairer to have the top four teams as we stand here this week all playing on the Saturday.”

Other highlights of round 23 will be Geelong hosting Adelaide – a game that could determine which of the two teams makes the top eight – and Port Adelaide’s home match against the Dockers.