The Gold Coast SUNS AFLW team will remain in Perth this week after the AFL announced the club would be playing the West Coast Eagles at Mineral Resources Park in Round 5.

The SUNS flew into Western Australia on Friday for the match against Fremantle and will remain interstate during the week in preparation to take on the Eagles.

Gold Coast SUNS Head of Women’s Football Fiona McLarty said the players and staff had accepted the club’s attitude of Challenge Accepted in 2021.

“We knew heading into the 2021 season that we would need to be prepared for anything that got thrown our way,” McLarty said.

“Our players and staff have been fantastic in their approach to the season and this next week will be valuable for us to spend some time together.

“You can never discount the sacrifice the players will be making to be away from family and work commitments over the next week but it’s a testament to the character of our group with the way they’ve approached it.

“We can’t thank all our family, partners and employers enough for their support during this time.”

The team will mimic its usual in-week training program while interstate to provide the players the best preparation for Sunday’s game.

The match against West Coast will be played at 4:10pm AEST on Sunday February 28.

The game will be broadcast live on the Seven Network, FOX FOOTY, Kayo, and via the AFL Live Official App. Matches will also be streamed live via womens.afl and the AFLW Live Official App.