Stephen Coniglio leads his teammates onto the field for the R8 clash with Richmond at Giants Stadium. Picture: AFL Photos

THE SWANS and the Giants will be forced to head north earlier than expected, with Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announcing that the state would close its borders to Greater Sydney this weekend.

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Queensland announced on Wednesday that Greater Sydney would be added to its COVID-19 hotspot zones, barring travel from the area as of 1am AEST this Saturday.

It means that both Sydney and Greater Western Sydney will likely be forced to head to Queensland on Thursday, earlier than originally anticipated, in order for the AFL season to resume as planned.

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"We do not want a second wave here … we do not want widespread community transmission," Palaszczuk said.

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Both Sydney-based teams are due to play their next two matches in Queensland, but had originally planned to fly in and out of the state for their respective games.

They will now both remain in Queensland throughout that period, before travelling to Western Australia to join the Perth-based hub ahead of their 'Sydney Derby' at Optus Stadium on Thursday August 13.

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