AFL- NAB CUP At Eureka
BALLARAT has missed out on getting another AFL pre-season competition match next year.
Wangaratta and Casey Fields at Cranbourne are the only Victoria regional centres, excluding the permanent AFL venue of Geelong, allocated NAB Cup matches.
North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs played in Ballarat’s first NAB Cup match this year as part of the development of a partnership between Ballarat and the Kangaroos.
That fixture at Eureka Stadium followed a series of AFL pre-season practice matches. The Kangaroos and Bulldogs also faced off in a practice match in Ballarat in 2011.
North Melbourne will meet Gold Coast Suns in Townsville in the second round of the NAB Cup and then take on Geelong at Geelong in round three.
Instead, Ballarat will have to again settle for a practice match on either March 16 or 17, the same weekend as the NAB Cup grand final.
Ballarat City Council confirmed last night that an AFL practice match would be played, but details are yet to be finalised. This will bring to an end the existing sponsorship deal the City of Ballarat has with North Melbourne.
NAB CUP DRAW:
ROUND 1
Friday, February 15: Collingwood v Essendon v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium
Saturday, February 16: West Coast v Fremantle v Geelong at Patersons Stadium
Sunday, Februrary 17: Adelaide v Port Adelaide v St Kilda at AAMI Stadium
Friday, Februrary 22: Richmond v Melbourne v North Melbourne, at Etihad Stadium=
Saturday, Februrary 23: Brisbane v Gold Coast v Hawthorn at Metricon Stadium
Sunday, February 24: Greater Western Sydney v Sydney v Carlton at Blacktown
ROUND 2
Friday, March 1: Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium
Saturday, March 2:
Geelong v Adelaide at Simonds Stadium, Geelong
Gold Coast v North Melbourne at Townsville
Essendon v Richmond at Wangaratta
Greater Western Sydney v Brisbane at Wagga Wagga
Carlton v Fremantle at Etihad Stadium
Sunday, March 3:
Port Adelaide v Melbourne at Renmark
St Kilda v Sydney at Etihad Stadium
West Coast v Collingwood, at Patersons Stadium
ROUND 3
Friday, March 8
Greater Western Sydney v Essendon at Manuka Oval
Adelaide v Carlton at AAMI Stadium
Saturday, March 9
Hawthorn v Richmond at Aurora Stadium, Launceston
Melbourne v St Kilda at Casey Fields, Melbourne
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs at Northam
Geelong v North Melbourne at Simonds Stadium, Geelong
Collingwood v Brisbane at Etihad Stadium
West Coast v Port Adelaide at Alice Springs
Sydney v Gold Coast at Blacktown
GRAND FINAL
March 15 or 16
david.brehaut@thecourier.com.au