THE MCG's parking ban for blockbusters will be put to the test for the first time in Thursday night's season opener.
Terror fears will see a cautious approach this year by the MCC, with five matches to have complete bans on Yarra Park car parking, locking out approximately 3000 vehicles.
Richmond and Carlton fans are urged to catch public transport with 90,000 expected for the first game of the season.
Get all the game day information for Thursday night's match against Carlton
There could be more than 110,000 fans in the Melbourne Park precinct with the NRL premiers Melbourne Storm hosting the North Queensland Cowboys across the road at AAMI Park.
Saturday night's Hawthorn-Collingwood and Sunday's Melbourne-Geelong fixtures will also see limited car parking.
An 80m exclusion zone will be in place from stadium to cars, with parking reduced to two-thirds capacity for all matches this season.
The other four matches before finals with no public parking are:
- Anzac Day Eve, Melbourne v Richmond
Anzac Day, Collingwood v Essendon
Dreamtime at the 'G, Essendon v Richmond
Queen's Birthday, Melbourne v Collingwood
There will be limited spots available for pass holders and disabled patrons.
With public transport the only option for many fans, Public Transport Victoria is warning the journey home in particular could be longer than normal.
Significant delays are already being caused by major works including level crossing removals on the Cranbourne and Hurstbridge train lines, and the extra crowds for AFL and other events will likely add to that.
"With such a large crowd heading to the MCG on a Thursday night, families should be aware that they may get home from the footy later than normal on a school night," Public Transport Victoria acting chief executive Dean Tillotson said.
"We're doing everything we can to get people home as quickly as possible after the game, with extra trains, trams and buses being put in place," he said.
