GREATER WESTERN Sydney is expected to move its now traditional season-opener against the Sydney Swans in 2014 to its home ground at SKODA Stadium.

Fixturing for next season is now underway at the AFL and the GIANTS have requested to play the Swans in front of a sell-out crowd at their home stadium rather than the neutral and cavernous ANZ Stadium.

SKODA Stadium is usually unavailable for the opening rounds of the season because of the clash with the Sydney Royal Easter Show. However the earlier start to next season, combined with Easter long weekend falling later than usual, means the GIANTS hope to get one (and perhaps two) home games at the start of the year before the horses and the cows move in.

With Lance Franklin having spurned the GIANTS to join the Swans, Greater Western Sydney is confident they could attract a capacity 25,000 crowd at SKODA for the first 2014 installment of the Battle of the Bridge.

The Swans played their home game against the GIANTS this year at the SCG.

The complete 2014 AFL fixture will be revealed later this month.