West Coast will be forced to wait for their much-anticipated showdown against departed skipper Oscar Allen, with the Eagles’ clash with Brisbane slated for the closing stretch of next season.

It comes as the Eagles get set to again be shunned from primetime footy in 2026, with the wooden spooners the sole AFL club to fail to feature in a Thursday or Friday night fixture through the first 15 rounds.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL ROUND-BY-ROUND FIXTURE

Allen’s exit was one of the biggest storylines of West Coast’s year, with the co-captain meeting Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell - and then apologising - before ultimately choosing to head to the Lions.

But the grudge match won’t feature in the first four months of the season, with round 19 locked in as the fixture for Allen’s first clash against the Eagles. The match will be at Optus Stadium on the week of July 16-19, with all eyes on how blue-and-gold fans will react to watching the spearhead in rival colours.

West Coast open their season with a daunting road clash against Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Sunday March 15, closing out the round one slate.

It will be an early test for Andrew McQualter’s side up against a team tipped to be a legitimate premiership contender. The Suns are on the fourth line of betting to win the flag after breaking through for a maiden finals appearance last season and adding ex-Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca in last month’s trade period.

West Coast have double-up clashes against fellow bottom-three clubs from last season in North Melbourne and Richmond. The Eagles play the Roos in their home opener at Optus Stadium on Sunday March 22, and then host the Tigers in round eight.

Fremantle, GWS, Collingwood and Port Adelaide are the other clubs that West Coast play twice next season.

The Eagles will host the first western derby of the year in round seven, with that game in a Sunday afternoon slot.

West Coast’s schedule features a mid-season block of a month where they won’t have to leave WA, with three straight matches at Optus Stadium from May 31 leading into their mid-season bye.

The closing stretch of the campaign appears challenging on paper, with the clash against Allen’s Brisbane beginning a patch of facing five of last season’s finalists in their last six games of the year.

West Coast chief executive Don Pyke said the club’s fixture was is “in line with the conversations we have had with the AFL”, hailing the club’s Sunday night game on May 31 - the day before the WA Day holiday.

“We get the WA Day game again this year, which was great last year to be able to activate that and celebrate Western Australia,” Pyke said.

“It will be a big game against Essendon on the Sunday night of the long weekend which is great.”

Pyke said the month-long chunk of time remaining in WA across May and June was a significant boost in reducing the toll of travel throughout the season.

“One of the great benefits of the arrangement we’ve got with North Melbourne, around them playing a home game in Perth, is that we get that opportunity to be at home for an extended period of time,” he said.

“Certainly, from the travel viewpoint, it’s a significant benefit to the group.”

With timeslots for the final nine rounds of the fixture to be finalised by the AFL mid-season, the Eagles are in danger of going through a full campaign without a single Friday or Thursday night fixture for the first time since 2002.

WEST COAST’S FULL FIXTURE (All times WA)

Round 1: v Gold Coast (People First Stadium) - Sunday March 15, 3.10pm

Round 2: v North Melbourne (Optus Stadium) - Sunday March 22, 3.10pm

Round 3: v Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) - Sunday March 29, 9.30am

Round 4: v Sydney (Optus Stadium) - Saturday April 4, 4.35pm

Round 5: v Geelong (Norwood Oval) - Sunday April 12, 10.30am

Round 6: v Fremantle (Optus Stadium) - Sunday April 19, 3.10pm

Round 7: v St Kilda (Marvel Stadium) - Sunday April 26, 11.10am

Round 8: v Richmond (Optus Stadium) - Saturday May 2, 2.15pm

Round 9: v Melbourne (Marvel Stadium) - Sunday May 10, 11.10am

Round 10: v GWS (Optus Stadium) - Sunday May 17, 4.15pm

Round 11: v Collingwood (MCG) - Saturday May 23, 4.35pm

Round 12: v Essendon (Optus Stadium) - Sunday May 31, 5.20pm

Round 13: v Port Adelaide (Optus Stadium) - Saturday June 6, 6.15pm

Round 14: v North Melbourne (Optus Stadium) - Saturday June 13, 2.15pm

Round 15: Bye

Round 16: v Carlton (Marvel Stadium) - TBC

Round 17: v Adelaide (Optus Stadium) - TBC

Round 18: v Western Bulldogs (Marvel Stadium) - TBC

Round 19: v Brisbane (Optus Stadium) - TBC

Round 20: v Fremantle (Optus Stadium) - TBC

Round 21: v Richmond (MCG) - TBC

Round 22: v Collingwood (Optus Stadium) - TBC

Round 23: v GWS - (Engie Stadium) - TBC

Round 24: v Hawthorn (Optus Stadium) - TBC

Double ups against: North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, Richmond, Collingwood, GWS