West Coast coach Adam Simpson is bracing for another stint on the road as Western Australia's border situation threatens to disrupt the AFL season.
The state's border remains closed indefinitely due to COVID-19 fears and the AFL Commission is meeting on Tuesday to discuss the ramifications.
The Eagles are scheduled to host Gold Coast at Optus Stadium in round one, but that game will have to be moved unless the WA government alters its hardline stance.
The WA border was set to re-open on February 5, but premier Mark McGowan last month backflipped on that decision over concerns about the Omicron variant.
"Until we're told otherwise, we'll just keep planning for that (game against the Suns)," Simpson told reporters in Perth.
"I think we're a little bit more resilient now with what's happened in the last couple of years and more prepared for change.
"Ideally, we'd like to play home games here and play in front our crowd, but we understand the situation has completely changed.
"We understand we've got to move in different directions if we're told to.
"There's been no communication (from the AFL) at the moment but we're assuming there may be some change down the track."
West Coast endured a difficult time in a Queensland hub in the early part of the COVID-19 affected 2020 season, but the Eagles were able to get back on track and qualify for finals after returning home to Perth.
Fremantle, who are a younger list, have previously handled the extended road trips better than their more hardened rivals.
Last year, the AFL was able to gain exemptions for teams to fly in and out of WA, including holding the memorable 2021 grand final in Perth.
But the situation has changed dramatically since last September when both the cities of Melbourne and Sydney were in hard lockdowns.
No professional sport has been played in Perth since early December, with the fifth Ashes cricket Test moved from Optus Stadium to Hobart's Blundstone Arena due to an untenable 14-day quarantine requirement for both teams.
AFL chair Richard Goyder, who is temporarily moving away from Perth because his business interests are compromised by the WA border closure, described the situation as tricky.
"I don't think there's going to be a great appetite for players outside Western Australia to be quarantining," Goyder told Perth's 6PR on Monday.
"There's a very significant cost to the AFL in doing some of the things we've had to do over the last couple of years.
"It's a significant issue for both West Coast and Fremantle because they need home games, and they need their crowds, but it's also a big issue for the AFL."
