The battle will begin well before bouncedown on Thursday night at Optus Stadium as it hosts weeknight football for the first time when West Coast play Essendon.

The Matagarup Bridge linking Perth with Optus Stadium has had delay after delay.

The rush will be on for footy fans who finish work and need to commute to the 60,000-seat venue in time for the 6.10pm start while navigating peak-hour traffic and limited Transperth services.

The transport tedium is a result of another setback for the Matagarup Bridge opening, which links East Perth and the CBD to the $1.8 billion arena.

Transport Miniser Rita Saffioti was last month hopeful football fans could utilise the bridge before Thursday night's AFL clash after enduring several setbacks since the Barnett government awarded the contract for its construction to a joint venture based in Malaysian that was scrapped after delays and cost blow-outs.