While the redevelopment at the venue means North fans in the Apple Isle will have to wait until Round 17 to see their team in action, the prospect of Nick Dal Santo coming up against his old side for the first time is sure to raise excitement.
"One of the things we’ve had regularly thrown at from our family as we call them down in Southern Tasmania, is that they want to see a Melbourne club come down there and that’s obviously going to be great with the (St Kilda) Saints. I think that’s a really good result," North chairman James Brayshaw said on Thursday.
With capacity down approximately 2,000 due to the construction of new stands, demand for tickets will be high.
"When I saw our fixture that was one of the most pleasing things about it for me, that A, a Melbourne team can go down and B, that it is St Kilda who’ve got that deep-seeded history."
The Saints played several home matches in Launceston between 2003 and 2006, with the state also home to their premiership-winning captain Darrel Baldock, as well as Ian Stewart and Nick Riewoldt.
Already, St Kilda has expressed interest in making games against North Melbourne in Hobart a permanent fixture.
While the first match will attract plenty of interest, there’ll be much to play for in Round 22 as the Kangaroos take on Adelaide.
"We talk about us (North) playing up-tempo and a great to watch brand of footy. Adelaide fit perfectly into that category; you only need to remember the game we played against them last year."
The two fixtures between the sides this season had a combined margin of just ten points.
“If I was a family member down in Hobart I’d be really pleased with those two matches, they’ll be crackers.”
North Melbourne Tasmanian memberships start at just $50 for general admission access and 2014 members will get first option on seats in the new grandstand the following year.
Reserved seat members for 2014 will be located in the Southern Stand due to the redevelopment.
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Blundstone Arena’s redevelopment will include an upgraded capacity of 20,000, new administration facilities and beautiful public areas.
Click here for more information on the redevelopment
Below is a sneak peak of how the completed stadium will look.
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Images from blundstonearena.com.au
