Hawthorn and Sydney have been guaranteed at least a week’s break leading into the start of the AFL finals series, with the league confirming the fixture for the final home-and-away round.

But Collingwood will have a shorter break than their opponents leading into a probable elimination final, after they received the roughest round-23 draw of the likely finalists.

The top-placed Hawks and third-placed Swans have been scheduled to meet on Friday August 30 at ANZ Stadium in what will be their last regular-season match.

One NRL game had been scheduled for the same venue on the same night but the AFL has clearly won the right to access the stadium in that timeslot.

It means the Hawks, who are likely to finish on top, will have at least as long a break as their opponents on the opening weekend of finals.

And provided they win their early finals matches, they should maintain that advantage throughout the series.

Of the three games scheduled for the last Sunday of the home-and-away season, Collingwood – who have been fixtured to meet North Melbourne at the MCG on that day – are the only likely finalist of the six teams playing that day.

The seventh-placed Magpies are headed for a likely elimination final and will enter it on a shorter break than their opponents.

But the AFL said it took into account that Essendon and Richmond, who have been scheduled to meet at the MCG on the Saturday night, are higher placed than Collingwood and the Kangaroos so deserve to play earlier on that weekend.

Fremantle, Brisbane and Carlton, who along with the Hawks must travel interstate on that weekend, all play on Saturday afternoon to ensure they can travel home that night.

Adelaide have been drawn to play in Perth against West Coast that Saturday night but, as they are sitting 12th, are finals long shots.