BY MICHAEL ESPOSITO
WESTERN Region Football League and Williamstown Football Club stakeholders are both open to the idea of WRFL finals being held at Burbank Oval from 2013.
WRFL chief executive officer Bob Tregear said hosting WRFL finals at both Avalon Airport Oval and Burbank Oval, would be an ideal situation for the league.
Traditionally WRFL finals have been held at Avalon Airport Oval, but the limitations of having just one main venue for finals proved problematic last season when VFL side Werribee earned a home final at the ground, forcing one day of WRFL finals to be played at Crofts Reserve in Altona.
Williamstown Football Club CEO Brendan Curry said he could envisage some WRFL finals matches being played at the redeveloped Burbank Oval from 2013. He said hosting finals this season was impractical, because a turf wicket needed to be laid and ready for the 2012/13 cricket season.
But Burbank Oval may not return as the host venue for junior finals, which it was before works started on the ground in 2010.
Tregear said playing junior finals at venues with two grounds was more logical.
“We have so many junior finals, that the cost of using single-ground venues is just prohibitive,” he said. “My preference in the future is not to use a venue like Burbank Oval for juniors. I’d rather use old Westbourne and Grant Reserve and Crofts Reserve, because they all use two grounds.
“I’d rather play senior finals at Burbank Oval.”
Tregear said he was keen to begin negotiations with Williamstown and Hobsons Bay Council about using Burbank Oval as a WRFL finals venue.
“We need 12 days and if we have two grounds it’s unlikely we’ll have a situation where neither of them are available.
“It would almost eliminate our prospect of having to use inferior venues.”
