17 hours ago
Bunbury makes its mark with regional WA's first in-season AFL game
The weekend's game between North Melbourne and West Coast had the nation's footy pundits asking one question — where on Earth is Bunbury?
Western Australia's second biggest city, about 175 kilometres south of Perth, hosted the state's first in-season regional AFL match at Hands Oval on Sunday.
Locals and visitors alike voted regional WA's debut on the AFL stage a success.
Dee Wenn-Mayne and her mother listened to the game from the front garden of their house across the road from the oval.
"It's just brilliant for the town."
Capel resident Andrew Gardiner said he hoped it helped put Bunbury on the map.
"This will open everyone's eyes up to Bunbury which gets a bit overlooked, especially with the ring road opening up," he said.
Ash Standring and his two mates travelled from Perth, booking four nights in Bunbury.
"It's awesome ... we did the jetty, we did the Rose Hotel for lunch, we did the lookout tower," he said.
Meanwhile, Evelyn Croker aka Mother Roo — arguably Bunbury's biggest North Melbourne fan — said she was happy to know her favourite boys would be coming to town once a year.
"I had so many cuddles from those guys I don't care if they're sweaty or nothing," she said.
"I just love them."
Bunbury — referred to by some commentators in the lead-up as Brunbury, Sunbury or simply Perth — could sometimes be bypassed by tourists, according to the WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby.
The so-called "battle for Bunbury" was part of a bid to boost the city's profile and attract more visitors by leveraging the city's sporting credentials.
The city is also set to host the Matildas for a friendly against Panama in a few weeks.
The WA government is paying North Melbourne about $2.5 million a year for two home games — Bunbury one weekend, Perth the next — with the idea it will encourage east coast visitors to tour the region in the week between.
It has also forked out millions of dollars along with the local government to get Hands Oval match fit.
Coming away with four points from their inaugural Bunbury home game is the cherry on top of a good deal for the Kangaroos.
Tasmania was previously paying the club about the same amount as WA to host double the number of games in the island state.
Speaking in Bunbury on Saturday, coach Alastair Clarkson had nothing but love for the team's new adopted home.
"Credit to the city of Bunbury to put up such a fantastic venue," he said.
"Hopefully this becomes a venue that's used frequently."
Clarkson shrugged off suggestions the club could return the games to Hobart after the three-year deal in light of speculation Tasmania's football team may not go ahead.
The arrangement did not appear to be unpopular with players either, particularly given the significant contingent of West Australians on their team.
North Melbourne forward Cam Zurhaar, one of seven West Australian players named for Sunday's game, said it felt good to be home.
"It takes you back to your roots playing on these local grounds ... and why you really started enjoying football to start off with," the 27-year-old said.
It was music to the ears of the South West Football League which has floated pushing Hands Oval's capacity beyond 15,000 and broadening its relationship with the AFL.
The state and local government will be watching closely as South West businesses tally their weekend earnings, hoping for proof of a significant economic boost.
The weather was on their side with sun shining throughout game day — a Hail Mary for organisers, as the ground offered little shelter, and almost 13,000 fans.
Organisers said about half of all ticket holders came from outside the South West region.
Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said he was confident the city's investment would pay off.
"From the pre-season game it was a 31 per cent increase in expenditure in the region for that weekend from the year previous," he said.
"Given we've got double the number [of attendees], we can probably expect to see some pretty good numbers."
