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The opening two rounds of the AFL Women's competition have been adjusted, with Fremantle and West Coast both drawing new opponents as part of the fixture revamp announced on Friday.
Just two alterations have been made to round one, but wholesale changes have occurred to the round two fixture as a response to the hard West Australian border due to COVID-19.
West Coast will now meet Adelaide in their season opener at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday January 30th, while Fremantle will face Greater Western Sydney at Fremantle Oval on Sunday January 31st.
Gold Coast was due to meet West Coast in round one, but will instead play Melbourne, with the Dees' original opponent Adelaide to now play the Eagles.
The open border between South Australia and Western Australia has allowed this to happen.
Just two games remain exactly the same in round two, with Western Bulldogs and Carlton to still host the first game of Pride Round, and Brisbane and Geelong to still face off.
North Melbourne and St Kilda will also still play each other, but have been pushed from Saturday to Sunday.
West Coast will play GWS at the neutral venue of Norwood Oval in South Australia in round two, while Fremantle will play Adelaide at the same venue the following day.
"The adjustments made to the first two rounds provides certainty into the early part of the season and allows the competition to remain as adaptable as possible as the season progresses in a constantly changing environment," AFL head of women's football Nicole Livingstone said.
"Throughout the planning process we listened to and worked closely with each stakeholder to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone in the game.
"We openly acknowledge there are unique challenges and recognise the non-football commitments of both AFLW players and staff, and through this open dialogue, we know the AFLW community remains determined to work through them to achieve a full season."
As previously announced, a single ladder will be in place for the 2021 season (as opposed to conferences, which were used in 2019 and 2020) and matches will be ticketed for the first time.
IMAGE: Women's AFL