THE VARIOUS unique circumstances about this AFL season means fairness is "almost out the window", Brisbane chief executive Greg Swann says.
AFL fixture boss Travis Auld confirmed on ABC radio on Sunday the Lions, Suns and Gold Coast hub quartet West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide would remain in Queensland for the next five weeks of games.
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That fresh fixture is set to be released within the next week.
They will each play one another in that period at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium, with Swann expecting Brisbane to have two or three home games in that time.
A West Coast 'home' game against the Lions, for example, would be played at Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium.
The plan is also to postpone the Western Derby and South Australia's Showdown games until later in the season, when restrictions in those states will hopefully have eased.
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With Port Adelaide already playing the Suns in round one, it leaves the AFL in a tricky spot in scheduling the Power's first four matches of the relaunched season.
"There are a lot of swings and roundabouts, and I think the idea of fairness in this competition is almost out the window," Swann told ABC radio.
"Because, in amongst that, if we get the two Perth teams then (theoretically) we don't have to travel to Perth at all, so that's an advantage to us, because it's a long way.
"But later in the year, we might play three or four in a row down in Melbourne or in Sydney … so I think flexibility and just getting on with it is one of the things we've spoken about and whatever comes our way we'll deal with it."
Swann was supportive of the Eagles, Dockers, Crows and Power receiving a string of home matches in their respective state, if possible, to make up for their early disadvantage.
The Lions have a decision to make on what to do if they are scheduled at some stage for three straight games in Melbourne, where they, too, could contemplate setting up a temporary hub.
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"We'll be guided a little by what you can and can't do at that stage," Swann said.
"If it's still fly in and fly out, then we might just go in and out on the day for three weeks, or if you think it's going to be better for us we might stay."
Players will endure strict AFL protocols in that time, including twice-weekly COVID-19 tests, household checks and tougher lockdown rules than the rest of Australia.
Some of those protocols are still being negotiated between the AFL and the AFL Players' Association.
Every AFL club must appoint a compliance manager to be an expert on these rules and responsible for communicating them to players and staff.
"In a way, we're lucky to get back, because not everyone's been able to get back, and not all workplaces have been able to get back, so there are some limitations," Swann said.
"There are some things our guys thought were sacrifices but small sacrifices to actually make sure we get to play."
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Teams return to train on Monday in groups of eight before graduating to two full-contact sessions on May 25 for a three-week period leading into matches resuming on June 11.
Swann expected the first week to be mostly devoted to gauging player fitness levels and said the return-to-play date had put "a spring in the step" for everyone.
"We've had discussions about how do we break them up: 'Do we put all the mids together and the backs together?'," he said.
"We've decided to split them, so if someone does get an illness, you don't lose a whole cohort of one group (but) how many of your first 24 do you train together, and how many of them do you break into the other groups?
"There are some interesting discussions being had but overall the thing is to try and minimise exposure and minimise your risk, so we're trying to take measures that do that for us."
