ALBURY has landed its biggest AFL match since 2003 with Richmond and Port Adelaide to lock horns in the NAB Challenge at Lavington Oval on Saturday, March 14.
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After more than a decade of attracting middle-of-the-road or developing teams, a 12,000-plus crowd is expected to pack the ground to watch two top-eight teams from this year do battle.
The coup justified Albury Council’s decision to bypass an opportunity to host a Sheffield Shield match.
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said the Tigers were excited to be playing on the Border.
“It’s always exciting to head to regional parts of Australia and give our fans outside of Melbourne a chance to see their team play,” he said.
“We know we have fans in every corner of Australia and understand it’s pretty special for them to see their favourite players in action.
“We have played matches in Wangaratta the past two years, which the team has really enjoyed, and has been a sellout, so we’re hoping our Albury-Wodonga supporters get behind us and attend the match too.”
It will be the first AFL match to be played at Lavington since 2012, when Greater Western Sydney defeated Gold Coast by 13 points in front of 6740 people.
In 2011, just 6122 people watched North Melbourne belt the Giants.
Carlton played Western Bulldogs at the ground in 2006, St Kilda met Melbourne in 2005 and Essendon and Geelong attracted 12,000 people in 2003 when former Wangaratta forward Steve Johnson kicked the match-winning goal for the Cats.
Albury mayor Kevin Mack said the Tigers and Power had plenty of present currency.
