Essendon's 2012 NAB Cup campaign will begin in Perth, with the Bombers set to take on Fremantle and West Coast at Patersons Stadium in the opening round of the pre-season tournament.

The AFL announced on Wednesday the fixture for the opening three weeks of the revised 2012 competition, with the first round consisting of each club playing two shortened matches against two other sides.

After reaching the NAB Cup Grand Final in 2011, the Bombers will meet the Dockers and Eagles on Sunday, February 19, with games beginning at 4.45pm.

In a new development for the 2012 NAB Cup, all 18 clubs have had all matches set for the opening three rounds of competition, with rounds two, three and four consisting of full-scale games.

In round two, Essendon will play St Kilda at Wangaratta on Saturday, March 3, starting at 7.00pm. In round three, the Bombers will take on the Sydney Swans at Etihad Stadium on Friday, March 9, beginning at 6.10pm.

All matches across the three rounds (two shortened games and two full games) will count equally for four points and percentage, with the two best-performed teams over the opening three rounds to compete in the NAB Cup Grand Final on Saturday, March 17.

The 16 other clubs will play NAB Cup matches that weekend across March 16-17 in various metropolitan cities across the country.