West Coast and Fremantle could face season playing outside WA if strict border restrictions remain

Western Australia’s strict border controls could force the state’s two AFL clubs to spend a full season on the road. But West Coast and Fremantle are optimistic they could yet finish the campaign with a string on home games.

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA – APRIL 29: Shannon Hurn of the Eagles handpasses the ball during the Round 6 AFL match between the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium on April 29, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Fremantle and West Coast face a season on the road after Mark McGowan threatened to keep WA’s borders closed until after the football season.

Asked if the hard border could remain for the entire AFL season, McGowan responded “that may well be the case”.

But WA’s teams remained optimistic on Saturday that they would get to finish their seasons in a Perth hub.

Fremantle chief executive Simon Garlick felt a run of home games to finish the season would make up for the WA teams’ early burden.

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Stars Elliot Yeo and Michael Walters could face a season playing outside Western Australia.

And West Coast coach Adam Simpson agreed, saying: “If we’re playing out of our state for the first five or six weeks, then hopefully we’ll be playing in our state for the last five or six weeks.”

But how that happens remains the question given McGowan insisted interstate border restrictions would remain for months.

With that, the 14-day quarantine period for visiting players seems to quash the prospect of Optus Stadium games and ensures a WA hub becomes more problematic.

The WA clubs took one for the AFL to kickstart the COVID-19 interrupted season, basing themselves on the Gold Coast for a month.

While Garlick hoped the back-half of the season would take a more traditional look, he was under the impression Freo and West Coast would enjoy a stretch of home games to make up for their sacrifice.

The WA clubs hope to finish their seasons with a run of home games.

“In all of my discussions, and clearly we wanted to get some comfort before we finally signed off on doing what we’re doing in the first month, I believe there’s an understanding from all the other clubs,” Garlick told ABC.

“In the event that we had to look at some teams coming together in a hub in WA to give us a run of home games …, I think that is very much a possibility.”

AFL chief financial officer Travis Auld said WA teams had to “compromise” on home games given McGowan’s strict border measures.

“They are going to have to play some home games out of their home state,” Auld said.

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Originally published as West Coast and Fremantle could face season playing outside WA if strict border restrictions remain