West Coast has a new opponent for round five, with Sydney set to travel north to face the Eagles in Queensland instead of Richmond.

The AFL made the fixture alteration on Monday, also changing the scheduled Tigers clash from Thursday night to Saturday against the Swans at 1.45pm (AEST) at Metricon Stadium.

The League acted due to the Queensland government's concerns over Victorians entering given the southern state’s rising COVID-19 levels.

"The AFL was advised that the Queensland Government was altering exemptions it had previously provided because of concerns over Melbourne’s Covid-19 hotspots," the League said in a statement.
 
"The alteration requires that any Queensland or Queensland-based team who plays in Melbourne or against a Melbourne team in Queensland is required to quarantine after the match for 14 days if they are remaining in or returning directly to Queensland." 

The change means the Eagles will now prepare to face Sydney at Metricon Stadium off a seven-day break, rather than a five-day gap, following their loss to ladder leaders Port Adelaide.

The Swans sit in 11^th spot on the ladder at 2-2 after four games, and are coming off a loss to the Western Bulldogs, while West Coast is in 16th at 1-3 after three consecutive defeats in Queensland since the season restarted.

West Coast is scheduled to host Adelaide at the Gabba in round six before returning to Perth for a run of games at Optus Stadium.