AFLW Round 5 fixture released: Victorian clubs hit the road again

After three weeks of saying put, Victoria’s AFLW teams are back on the road, with St Kilda, North Melbourne and Carlton all set to travel next weekend for the first time this season.

The Kangaroos and the Blues will head to the Apple Isle to play each other at Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium on Saturday night, where North Melbourne will be looking to snap its two-game losing streak.

St Kilda will head to Adelaide to face the Crows at Norwood Oval on Sunday.

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Since the beginning of the season, the only Victorian team to have travelled outside of the state is Melbourne, which defeated Gold Coast by 21 points at Metricon Stadium on January 30.

After Round 1, a COVID-19 lockdown in Perth and then a further virus outbreak in Melbourne meant the AFL was forced into multiple rewrites of its fixture to avoid border closures and ensure the season could continue.

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North Melbourne’s Bethany Lynch will play in Tasmania in Round 5.Source:Getty Images

The AFL is currently releasing its fixture on a week-by-week basis to keep on top of snap border closures.

For the past three weeks, the fixture rewrites have seen the eight Victorian clubs stay home and playing against each other, while the six interstate clubs have been flying across the country to play games.

It had been the AFL’s hope that in those three weeks, borders would reopen to allow travel between the states again.

Round 5 – the AFLW’s first Indigenous Round – will kick off on Friday night with a clash between winless teams Geelong and Richmond, in which both will be hoping to post their first victory of 2021.

GWS will also be back on the road, heading to Whitten Oval to face the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, while Brisbane will fly to Perth to face the unbeaten Fremantle, which is riding high on an 11-game winning streak stretching over two seasons.

The also-unbeaten Collingwood will take on Melbourne at Victoria Park on Sunday, before West Coast faces Gold Coast in Perth.

St Kilda is heading to South Australia next weekend.Source:Getty Images

Crowds will be permitted at all the games unless otherwise advised. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday.

AFL Head of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone said the league would continue to take the advice of governments and health officials as it worked through fixtures for upcoming rounds.

“We will continue to remain adaptable as we listen to and work closely with each stakeholder to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone in the game,” she said.

“While COVID-19 continues to impact the community, the health and welfare of our players and the community remains the priority and we remain committed to delivering a full season in a safe manner led by respective governments, public health officials and medical experts.”

AFLW ROUND 5

Friday, February 26

Geelong v Richmond, GMHBA Stadium 7.10pm AEDT

Saturday, February 27

Western Bulldogs v GWS Giants, Whitten Oval 3.10pm AEDT

Fremantle v Brisbane Lions, Fremantle Oval 2.10pm AWDT

North Melbourne v Carlton, University of Tasmania Stadium 7.10pm AEDT

Sunday, February 28

Adelaide v St Kilda, Norwood Oval 12.40pm ACDT

Collingwood v Melbourne, Victoria Park 3.10pm AEDT

West Coast v Gold Coast, Mineral Resources Park 2.10pm AWST

Originally published asFixture revealed: AFLW clubs hit the road again

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