Eagles dig their heels in on hotel quarantine

West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson says his team must be allowed to go home to quarantine following their time in Queensland, declaring the club will return straight home after their round 5 clash with Richmond if their demands aren't met.

The state government led by WA Health Minister Roger Cook is lobbying for all West Coast players and staff to spend two weeks in Perth hotels to quarantine upon their return to the state, to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Having been asked to spend a month away from their families in a Queensland hub, the club is keen for it's staff to home quarantine rather than spend further time away from family.

“Our position is that if we can’t home quarantine, we’re going home after Richmond.” Simpson said in his weekly press conference on Friday.

“We’re happy to do our bit and we’re here to win, but we have to look after our players and staff and their health and well-being.”

It looms as a potential disaster in the making for the AFL, who are planning to release the fixtures for rounds 6-9 next week.

Simpson said it was time to 'draw a line in the sand' in the quarantine debate, saying his club needed answers.

“We need a return date. There are so many variables and I don’t have the answer. Our job is to get a win tomorrow. Trevor Nisbett and Craig Vozzo are working on getting us the best outcome.”

“There’s a bit going on, but our priority is to prepare for this weekend.”

West Coast are seemingly open to playing 1-2 more games in the QLD hub beyond round five, but only if they can home quarantine upon their return.

They face Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday night, the loser of that match to drop to 1-2 after both clubs made finals in 2019.

IMAGE: Canberra Times.