WEST Coast and Fremantle will be forced to stage matches with 50 per cent capacity at Optus Stadium after a new round of restrictions introduced by the Western Australia Government.
Crowd caps in the State will be reduced from 75 per cent from Thursday based on health advice as COVID-19 cases grow in the WA community, cutting the Optus Stadium capacity to 30,000 ahead of round one.
There had previously been relief at both WA clubs after news the season would launch with an open border, making it possible to host home games and accommodate all their members with the 75 per cent cap.
LAST EAGLES STANDING West Coast's round one team, injury woes
The Eagles and Dockers will now need to work through how the limited seats are distributed between season ticket holders while the 50 per cent cap is in place.
West Coast launches its season at home against Gold Coast on March 20, while the Dockers play their first home game on March 27 against St Kilda.
GOING TO THE GAME? Get R1 tickets for Eagles v Suns here
An AFLW double-header is scheduled at Optus Stadium on Saturday, with Fremantle taking on Melbourne before the Eagles clash with the Western Bulldogs.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
There were 1,136 new local cases of COVID-19 reported by WA Health on Monday. WA has recorded 9,364 cases since the pandemic began.
The Eagles confirmed on Tuesday that young defender Harry Edwards had entered health and safety protocols, while teammate Liam Ryan did likewise last week.
In South Australia, Adelaide and Port Adelaide will host games without crowd limits, making full houses at Adelaide Oval possible for the first time in two years.