Roos set to sign $6m ‘landmark deal’ to play WA home games for next three years

North Melbourne is reportedly finalising a lucrative agreement with the AFL and Western Australian state government to play home games in Perth over the next three seasons.

In the mooted deal, the Kangaroos will play two ‘home games’ in Perth for each of the next three seasons, helping alleviate financial pressure on the struggling Victorian club and allaying the Eagles and Dockers’ fixture stresses.

According to Seven reporter Ryan Daniels, the Roos will ‘host’ the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle next season as part of a two-week venture, with one game to come at Optus Stadium and the other to be played in the state’s south-west — Daniels floated Bunbury’s Hands Oval as the ‘likely destination’.

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It is understood that the deal is set to pocket North Melbourne in excess of $2 million per year — with the Optus Stadium fixture alone set to rake in approximately $1.2 million for the Roos — bringing the total to over $6 million across the arrangement’s three-year period.

Daniels added that North is expected to still play games in Hobart next season, though not as many as the four it hosted at Bellerive Oval this year. The Roos also played an away game in Launceston against Hawthorn.

The deal gifts West Coast and Fremantle an extra game in their home state, as well as a tourism kick for the WA state government.

Ironically, North Melbourne claimed its first win of the 2024 season when it bested the Eagles by nine points at Optus Stadium in Round 14.

In eight all-time matches played at Optus Stadium, the Roos have won four times — the league’s eighth-best winning percentage at the venue.

The Eagles and Dockers each played 12 games at Optus Stadium this year, including an ‘away’ derby match.