The Fremantle Dockers recorded their biggest win in AFL history on Saturday at Hands Oval, but it was the WA city of Bunbury that made the most of its time in the spotlight.
For the second year in a row, North Melbourne hosted a home game in the state’s largest regional city, with Bunbury turning on a perfect day for football.
Fans arrived early to secure the best seats at Hands Oval, the home of the South Bunbury Football Club and the traditional venue of the South West Football League grand final, with a long line almost reaching halfway around the facility before 10am.
With the match scheduled to start at midday, it was obvious that the event had attracted not just locals, but a strong contingent from Perth and even from the other side of the country.
North Melbourne fan Ben Creagh made the trip from the Victorian capital, catching one of the flights to Busselton on Friday morning ahead of the match.
While obviously disappointed with the result, Creagh said he was impressed with the local facilities and the quality of the pitch.
“They have done a great job with the oval, everything looks in really good condition and doesn’t look out of place for an AFL match,” he said.
“It is a bit disappointing to make the trip for a 100-point thrashing, but I can’t complain about the state of the grounds and it was a perfect day for football.
“The flight over was packed with North Melbourne fans, so it seems like a good deal for tourism in the South West.”
A North Melbourne member, Creagh said he was unsure about the wisdom of playing “home” games interstate, but recognised the money from the deal was a benefit to the club.
The Kangaroos decided to sell two of their home games from 2025 to 2027 in a deal that is understood to net the club $2.5 million per year as part of an agreement with the AFL, Tourism WA and the state government..
North Melbourne play one game in Bunbury, before a follow-up home game at Optus stadium the following week, with the first of the matches played in 2025 in an agreement that is expected to conclude next year.
The Hands Oval precinct saw a dramatic transformation ahead of the first match against the Eagles in 2025, with temporary grandstands and event infrastructure turning the community sporting ground into a nationally broadcast AFL venue.
The upgrades were funded through a three-year partnership supported by $5.7 million in State Government investment in the precinct – complementing the $19.5 million already invested in a deal between the state government, the City of Bunbury, the federal government’s Building Better Regions fund, the South West Football League and the WA Football Commission.
The Hands Oval match anchors the Bunbury Big Weekender – a three-day program of community activations, entertainment, and local experiences running for three days from Friday to Sunday across the city centre, Hands Oval precinct, and Bunbury’s waterfront.
Ahead of this year’s match, Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the event represented a significant moment for the city and the broader South West region.
“This isn’t just an AFL match, it’s a statement about what regional cities can deliver,” he said.
“When the broadcast goes out to millions of viewers on Saturday they’ll see a city that’s invested in its future, a community that shows up, and a region that punches well above its weight.
“We’re incredibly proud to be hosting this for the second year running, and we’re already looking forward to doing it again in 2027.”
Following the match, with Fremantle running out clear winners with a 124-point victory, the crowd descended on the city, with the Highway Hotel, the closest pub to Hands Oval, doing a brisk trade.
Along Bunbury’s main entertainment strip of Victoria Street, pubs, cafés and restaurants were also making the most of the AFL crowd, with many places already booked ahead of Saturday’s match.
While North Melbourne may be questioning its choice of playing home games in WA after the weekend’s thrashing, it is certain that the people of Bunbury hope the deal continues to bring the trade and tourism benefits to the South West city.
