The opening round of the 2018 home and away season will see the Sydney Swans take on West Coast in the first AFL match at the newly-constructed Perth Stadium.
Details of the Round 1 fixture released this week revealed that the Swans will kick their season off against the Eagles for the fourth time in a twilight match at the 60,000-seat stadium on Sunday, March 25.
It will be the 49th official meeting between the two teams with the match sure to continue their hotly-contested rivalry forged during the mid-2000s where six-straight games were decided by less than five points, including in two consecutive grand finals (2005 and 2006).
The first football match at the venue, which will take over as the West Coast and Fremantle's new home from Subiaco Oval after 30 years, will be an AFL Women's contest involving Fremantle on Saturday, February 10.
The largest home and away crowd to attend a Swans v Eagles match was recorded when 62,586 flocked to ANZ Stadium to see the previous year's grand finalists met again Round 1, 2007.
Next year's season opener for the Swans, scheduled for 4.10pm AWDT on Sunday, will be the final match in the highly-anticipated first round of the 2018 AFL season. The season will be opened by traditional rivals Richmond and Carlton in a night game at the MCG on Thursday, March 22.
The full home and away fixture will be released on October 31.
2018 Fixture - Round 1
Thursday, March 22
Richmond v Carlton, MCG, 7.25pm AEDT
Friday, March 23
Essendon v Adelaide, Etihad Stadium, 7.50pm AEDT
Saturday, March 24
St Kilda v Brisbane Lions, Etihad Stadium, 3.35pm AEDT
Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval, 4.05pm ACDT
Gold Coast v North Melbourne, Cazaly’s Stadium, Cairns, 6.25pm AEST
Hawthorn v Collingwood, MCG, 7.25pm AEDT
Sunday, March 25
Greater Western Sydney v Western Bulldogs, Canberra, 1.10pm AEDT
Melbourne v Geelong, MCG, 3.20pm AEDT
West Coast v Sydney, Perth Stadium, 4.10pm AWST
