FALCONS TAKE ON HAWKS IN FOXTEL CUP

ONE of the rewards West Perth will receive by winning the 2013 WAFL premiership is by taking part in the Foxtel Cup for a second time and the Falcons will take on the VFL premiers at Etihad Stadium.

The Falcons will travel to Melbourne to play on Etihad Stadium against the Box Hill Hawks, fresh off winning the VFL premiership over Geelong in 2013, on Tuesday May 6 with the match to bounce down just after 6.30pm WST.

West Perth also played in the Foxtel Cup of 2012 by firstly beating Ainslie in Western Sydney and then earning the experience to take on Werribee at the MCG.

Even though it was a loss for the Falcons, the experience of travelling to Melbourne and becoming the first WAFL club to play on the MCG was an experience to savour, and now the same could eventuate in 2014 by playing at Etihad Stadium.

The other WAFL club taking part in the 2014 Foxtel Cup will be the team West Perth beat in the 2013 grand final, East Perth, with the Royals remaining at home in the opening round hosting Norwood at Patersons Stadium.

The only way the Falcons and Royals will take part in a Foxtel Cup derby will be if both teams make the grand final which is scheduled for Tuesday July 22.

Defending champions West Adelaide will return to defend its title and will be joined by each of the 2013 state league premiers from the SANFL (Norwood), VFL (Box Hill Hawks) and the WAFL (West Perth).

East Perth (WAFL), Williamstown (VFL) and Prospect State (TSFL) have each earned automatic entry into round one while NEAFL sides Aspley and Belconnen will play off for the right to earn the final position among the leading eight state league sides in the country.

AFL General Manager Broadcasting, Scheduling and Major Projects Simon Lethlean said the AFL was delighted with the continued strength of the teams that would contest the fourth season of the Foxtel Cup, with one title now having been claimed by an SANFL club (West Adelaide, 2013), a WAFL club (Claremont, 2012) and a VFL club (Williamstown, 2011) since the competition’s launch in 2011.

All matches in round one, the semi finals and the Grand Final will again be played on Tuesday nights, to maximise exposure for competing clubs and players. Lethlean said the winning team will claim a first prize of $100,000, while the format of three matches to win the title will again ensure the competition should complement the state league seasons and not compromise any team's pursuit of its state league premiership with too many extra matches.

All four matches in round one and the semi-finals and final will be broadcast on the FOX FOOTY Channel in primetime on Tuesday nights, Lethlean said.

"The Foxtel Cup will again have all the best state league teams on show, and these games continue to provide opportunities for state league teams to increase their professionalism, while allowing further chances for state league players to push for opportunities with AFL clubs," he said.

All matches will again consist of four quarters each of eighteen (18) minutes set time, plus time-on from the last 3 minutes only (20 minutes approximately total per quarter), to lessen the load on players as well as to enable games to fit into a two-hour broadcast window.

FOXTEL CUP FIXTURES

First Round

Tuesday April 29 – West Adelaide (SANFL) v Prospect State (TSFL) at Adelaide Oval

Tuesday May 6 – Box Hill Hawks (VFL) v West Perth (WAFL) at Etihad Stadium

Tuesday May 20 – Williamstown (VFL) v Aspley/Belconnen () at MCG

Tuesday May 27 – East Perth (WAFL) v Norwood (SANFL) at Patersons Stadium

Semi Finals

Tuesday June 24 – West Adelaide/Prospect v Box Hill/West Perth 

Tuesday July 1 – Williamstown/Aspley/Belconnen v East Perth/Norwood

Grand Final

Tuesday July 22 – Winner of semi finals

BY CHRIS PIKE