After an increase in NSW coronavirus cases scuppered Western Sydney's plans for a bumper day of football, Western United's Monday night clash with Adelaide United has suddenly been bumped to the top of the run sheet.
The original plan was a much different one.
The A-League and W-League were scheduled to kick off in a double-header at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday with Western Sydney's A-League team to face newcomers Macarthur FC.
After coronavirus forced last season to be played in a hub, the new A-League season was due to become one of the biggest beneficiaries of NSW's plan to allow a return to full-capacity crowds.
Then the northern beaches cluster emerged.
First, the A-League announced any fixtures affected by border closures such as the grand final rematch between Sydney FC and Melbourne City would be postponed.
The league reshuffled fixtures, scheduling games between the six teams based in NSW and seemingly keeping the A-League opener on track while matching interstate teams against each other.
Then, on Wednesday, the double-header planned for December 27 was pushed back by three days, with permitted crowd capacity in NSW reduced to 50 per cent.
As a result, the season will open with 2019-20 semi-finalists Western United playing out of one of their temporary home grounds and hosting last season's seventh-placed finishers Adelaide in front of what is likely to be a small crowd.
