THE WHEELS are in motion for a round seven West Coast-Fremantle Derby in front of a packed Optus Stadium.
The AFL will on Thursday or Friday this week publicly release its round six and seven fixtures, and as of Wednesday morning it was working closely with the WA government, and the Eagles and the Dockers, about scheduling the match for Sunday, July 19.
ROUNDS 2-5 Check out the full fixture
The two WA teams will be required to stay in the south-east Queensland hub, where they have been based since the 2020 season resumption, for yet-to-be-determined round six matches, but will leave immediately after those fixtures.
A plan was being worked on to have both clubs back in Perth by midnight of Saturday, July 11, in order to allow players to begin 14 days in home isolation, as per WA government COVID-19 regulations.
Special dispensation is being sought for the teams to play the Derby within that isolation period.
It is not yet known which club would "host" the Derby.
The likelihood of Victorian teams heading to Perth has also increased on the back of the negotiations between the AFL and the WA government this week.
Richmond, Melbourne and Essendon will not be required to go to WA in that period, as those clubs either have, or will have, played one of the WA teams, thus restricting fixturing options.
Geelong, Collingwood, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Carlton are being considered for a Perth hub, with North Melbourne and Hawthorn believed to negotiating how to service their commercial deals to play matches in Tasmania.
WA premier Mark McGowan said on Monday that his state's sports stadiums would be given permission for 100 per cent crowd capacity from July 18.
