Roos in likely lead for Hobart JON PIERIK
July 24, 2010 NORTH Melbourne last night emerged as the front-runner to play four home matches in Hobart from 2012.
The Kangaroos, Richmond and Melbourne had all expressed interest in shifting matches to Bellerive Oval, but it appears the Kangaroos are now well placed to win the battle, with an announcement expected as early as next week.
Tony Harrison, the chairman of Cricket Tasmania, the governing body which runs the venue, said it was his understanding the Kangaroos had beaten the Tigers as favourites.
''It's a very strong rumour but we haven't heard anything official yet,'' he said yesterday.
''The word is something may be said, and it would have to be said by the AFL, over the weekend or early next week.''
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett is in the US until early next week and it is unlikely an announcement would be made until he returns.
Harrison said he had even expected Kangaroos chairman James Brayshaw to make an announcement on The Footy Show on Thursday night, although that would have been overshadowed by the interview with sacked Western Bulldog, Jason Akermanis.
A Kangaroos spokesman yesterday denied a deal had been finalised and said he did not expect an announcement, whether successful or not, for possibly another month.
An AFL spokesman last night said no agreement had been made with any club.
Harrison said he was still in discussions with Richmond. Tigers' chief executive Brendon Gale is Tasmanian and sits on the board of AFL Tasmania.
''We are still talking to them. I think they are sending some people over next week to have a look at the ground,'' Harrison said.
Brayshaw this week outlined his intentions in a letter to members on the club's website.
He said Hawthorn's $16.4 million deal over five years with the Tasmanian government to play four home matches in Launceston per season, which is now up for renegotiation, was a model the Kangaroos hoped to emulate.
It is understood the Kangaroos have generated support for the move because it would be a major financial boost for a club whose future in Melbourne is often questioned.
The Kangaroos' membership has fallen by 4.9 per vent to 26,953 this season.
A move south could help bump this figure to the crucial 30,000 mark.
Bellerive has a capacity of 17,000 but Cricket Tasmania says it has plans to lift that to 20,000, the same as Launceston's Aurora Stadium, should it win AFL games.
The Kangaroos have also expressed an interest in developing football in the region, similar to what Hawthorn has done in the north.
It is unclear if the Kangaroos, should they be successful, would enjoy the same level of funding from the Tasmanian government as what the Hawks have been provided with.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/roos-in-likely-lead-for-hobart-20100723-10oxo.html
