NAB Challenge game in doubt

Bunbury's pre-season AFL fixture could be in doubt if West Australian clubs West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers had not yet been knocked out of the NAB Cup, an AFL spokesman has confirmed.

Last week the AFL revealed that Bunbury was in line to host its second-ever NAB Challenge fixture — the practice match competition clubs play in when they have fallen foul in the NAB Cup — in March 2011.

However, a change in the format of the NAB Cup from knockout to a more forgiving round-robin style has left a possibility that both the Eagles and Dockers could still be in contention for pre-season glory when the Hands Oval match is scheduled to take place on March 4 or 5.

Last week, AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane told the Bunbury Herald that if that situation arose, the league would need to review the fixture.

As part of the changes to the NAB Cup competition AFL clubs, including fledging Eastern States franchises Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, will be divided into six three-team pools that will play each other in a lightning carnival-style opening round.

The six winners of each group automatically qualify for round two, along with two more sides that have the best records among all the other teams.

This will allow for a traditional quarter-final program of eight teams, before semi-finals and a grand final are played in the subsequent weeks.

West Coast and Fremantle have been drawn to clash with Hawthorn at Patersons Stadium (formerly Subiaco Oval) in the opening round of the NAB Cup on Sunday, February 13.

If the Eagles and Dockers both made it through the group stage, and their second round fixtures, Bunbury’s NAB Challenge match could be plunged into uncertainty.

Should that situation arise, an 11th-hour decision on whether to go ahead with the game is expected to be made by AFL powerbrokers in the Eastern States.

Keane said that the AFL was committed to taking the game to regional areas, particularly in WA and South Australia.

‘‘It is very much the focus of the NAB Challenge that we take matches to regions that don’t normally get to host games,’’ he said.

‘‘It is very important to us to play at least one game away from Perth and Adelaide respectively.

‘‘It’s a specific aim that we have and we usually find that these games get between 7000-12,000 people. It’s a great result.’’

Last year more than 10,000 people packed Hands Oval to see Fremantle take on Carlton in an NAB Challenge match.