The AFL has made fixture tweaks to seven AFLW matches in response to Western Australia’s updated Covid-impacted border restrictions, with the Dockers and Eagles to face off in Round 1 before spending three weeks on the road.
It comes as the Gold Coast Suns’ build-up to their 2022 AFLW campaign hit a hurdle, with five players returning positive Covid tests almost one week before the team’s first match.
Omicron outbreaks across the country have forced the AFL and its clubs to act promptly to ensure the season begins next weekend.
Fremantle and West Coast will remain in Perth in Round 1, but instead play each other — rather than Adelaide (Dockers) and Brisbane (Eagles) respectively — in a twilight western derby at Fremantle Oval on Saturday January 8. It means the grand final rematch between the Crows and Lions will be held on the Sunday of Round 1, giving Matthew Clarke’s team an early redemption opportunity after Brisbane’s premiership triumph in 2021.
The Fremantle-Adelaide and West Coast-Brisbane games will both now be held in Round 8, allowing both matches to be played in WA as initially scheduled.
Both the Eagles and Dockers will then fly to Melbourne for Round 2 ‘home’ games. While Fremantle’s clash with the Giants had already been moved to the Whitten Oval on Sunday January 16, West Coast will now play the Suns at the same venue on the same day but four-and-a-half hours earlier.
The Eagles will remain in Melbourne to take on Adelaide in a Round 3 clash at Punt Road Oval on Saturday January 22. Fremantle will then play a twilight away game against Richmond at the same venue — a match that was part of the initial fixture release.
AFL women’s football manager Nicole Livingstone said the fixture adjustments was necessary to give greater early-season certainty.
“While COVID-19 continues to impact our community, we will continue to make changes that best manage the current environment, progresses our season and protects the health and safety of those in our game and the wider community,” Livingstone said.
“We continue to work closely with each stakeholder to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone in the game. As we have done over the course of the pandemic, we will be led by and work closely with respective governments, all AFL clubs and other key stakeholders while ensuring the health and safety of the community remains paramount.”
Meanwhile, Gold Coast on Friday confirmed five of its AFLW players were isolating at home after testing positive to COVID-19.
The club said each member that has the virus is fully vaccinated and, at this stage, experiencing either mild or no symptoms.
Gold Coast has 30 players on its AFLW list and four on the inactive list. An AFLW team needs 21 players to fill a side.
Despite the Covid scare, the Suns insist their Round 1 clash was never in doubt. They added they were confident the affected players would return to training at some stage next week and the rest of the squad would continue to prepare for the match.
“The health and safety of all members of our programs remains the priority and the Club and its players have and will continue to follow all guidelines put in place by the QLD Government,” a Suns statement read.
“The remainder of the AFLW program will continue to prepare for the Round 1 fixture against the GWS Giants in Mackay on Sunday 9 January, with the game to proceed as planned.
“Subject to their continued progress though the required protocols, the five players will re-join the AFLW program throughout next week.”
The sixth AFLW season will commence next Friday, with St Kilda hosting Richmond under lights in Frankston.
All AFLW home and away and finals matches — including the Grand Final — will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.
