HEAD TO BELLERIVE SATURDAY

THOSE looking for a great afternoon out this Saturday could do a lot worse than heading to Bellerive on the Eastern Shore to take in the unofficial Tassie Cup. The AFL is expecting the biggest crowd in more than four years as Hawthorn debuts in Hobart against North Melbourne.

Already more than 10,000 tickets have been pre-sold with organisers expecting a ripper crowd.

The two sides have been based in Tassie with the Hawks playing out of Launceston and the Roos out of Hobart.

The clash should be an exciting affair with both sides in rare form.

The Roos are back in town after a good win against Richmond last week. The solid victory has Jack Ziebell’s men brimming with confidence while the Hawks come to Hobart looking for a third straight win after defeating Adelaide and the Eagles.

The Hawks have not played for premiership points in the state’s capital since their Tasmanian adventure started in 2001, so it’s a pretty big day for their footy fans and the atmosphere at the ground should be electric.

The good news is that the AFL is putting on a show around the oval as well with plenty for punters to do and eat.

Once at the ground, they will be greeted by music on the concourse along with an array of food not seen previously at Blundstone Arena.

For food lovers, in addition to the normal fare at the ground, there will be food trucks with hot food and doughnuts.

The gates open at 12.15pm with activities including market stalls on the concourse – and there will even be a whisky distillery with tastings.

For the kids, there will be a DJ and a Kids Zone so kids will be able to handball and kick, and if they go to the Mazda Stall they will be able to spin-and-win food and beverage vouchers.

And by the looks of it, the weather is even playing ball.

The bureau forecast has Hobart shrugging off the near-zero temps to welcome a balmy top of 14C in time for the bounce.

There is a lot going on and will be well worth the effort to get out of the house for a great day of footy.

The only downer is that there is no ferry scheduled for the day to take fans from the CBD to the ground.

It is a shame because it’s a fantastic way to arrive for the game.

That said, there are plenty of free buses and that is the smart way to get to the ground, especially if you will be having a drink and the fact parking can be hard to find.

It is a big match and it would be great to see all of Hobart get along to the game.