Victorian teams have been given the all-clear to travel to Perth for AFLW games despite Western Australia’s hard border stance.
Carlton and Collingwood will fly in and out of Perth this weekend for round-six matches – the first time national sport will be played in WA since December.
The Blues will face the Dockers at Fremantle Oval on Saturday, while the Magpies will tackle West Coast at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday.
Fremantle and West Coast were forced to hit the road when the WA government shut its border to the rest of Australia when COVID-19 cases started rapidly rising in other states and territories.
Isolation protocols were relaxed this week, but arrivals into WA still need to spend seven days in quarantine.
However, the AFL has secured exemptions for teams to fly in and out for matches on the same day.
“Fremantle is currently serving a quarantine period after returning to Perth following their game on Sunday while West Coast returned to Perth following their game (on Tuesday night) after both teams spent time on the road in Victoria,” AFL competition management boss Laura Kane said.
“The health and safety of everyone in the community remains paramount and the AFL, together with Fremantle, the West Coast Eagles and the travelling teams, have agreed to strict protocols as approved by the Western Australian government.
“The fixture remains a week-to-week proposition and the AFL will continue to work closely with respective state governments and health authorities on arrangements.”
The move could open the door for the men’s season to go ahead as planned, without West Coast and Fremantle having to enter interstate hubs.
The Eagles and Dockers are scheduled to play each other in both their pre-season matches because of the border predicament.
West Coast is due to host Gold Coast at Optus Stadium in round one on March 20.
AAP
