Essendon will kick off the AFL's second wave of a fixture frenzy when it faces Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, August 27.

The AFL today announced the fixture for rounds 14 to 18, which will include a block of 17 games in 18 days beginning with the Bombers-Hawks clash.

The Bombers will remain based on the Gold Coast for the rest of the home and away season, flying to Adelaide to face Hawthorn (round 14) and Port Adelaide (round 17).

04:54

Rd 11 | Behind the scenes

Watch exclusive pre-game footage from the Bombers' round 11 clash with the Suns at Metricon Stadium.

Their only home game after Dreamtime in Darwin will be against Geelong at the Gabba in round 16.

The date and location for Essendon's catch-up game against Melbourne in round 18 will be confirmed at a later date as the AFL maximises intrigue leading into finals.

There may be a week’s break between round 18 and finals, with the Brownlow Medal now expected to be held in the week after the completion of the final round. 

Check out the fixture below.

ROUND 14

Hawthorn v Essendon
4:40pm AEST
Thursday, August 27
Adelaide Oval
Live on Fox Footy

ROUND 15

West Coast v Essendon
8:10pm AEST
Tuesday, September 1
Metricon Stadium
Live on Fox Footy

ROUND 16

Essendon v Geelong
3:35pm AEST
Sunday, September 6
Gabba
Live on Channel 7

ROUND 17

Port Adelaide v Essendon
4:35pm AEST
Saturday, September 12
Adelaide Oval
Live on Fox Footy

ROUND 18

Melbourne v Essendon
Date and location TBC