RIVERINA FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
WAGGA Tigers captain coach Tom Power last night declared it was "well and truly" worth the wait as the club returned to its home ground of Robertson Oval for the first time in almost 18 months.
A sizeable group of supporters were on hand last night as Wagga Tigers officially returned to Robertson Oval for the first time since the end of the 2011 season.
The $7 million upgrade of the facility is almost complete and Tigers were given the green light by Wagga City Council to test the new surface at last night's pre-season training session.
Power led Tigers through a difficult season last year where the club was left without a venue for home games and training sessions but the captain-coach last night said all the difficulties of 2012 had been worthwhile.
"It's first class," Power said of the new-look Robertson Oval.
"It's a good thing for Wagga and the Riverina in general I guess.
"Its well and truly been worth the wait.
"All the mucking around and dramas of last year are gone and look what's in front of us now."
Wagga Tigers have made its own improvements to the facility as Wagga City Council went about the upgrade.
Tigers have improved the Robert Hughes clubrooms and also contributed to the new coaches boxes that will be erected at the ground.
"Obviously we've made some changes to our clubrooms to bring them up to standard with the ground," Power said.
"The coaches boxes will be good for everyone that uses the ground.
"We've kept in touch with council throughout the whole project and what they said they would deliver is exactly what's in front of us.
"They've done a tremendous job during the whole process."
Opposition clubs will notice plenty of new features when visiting Robertson Oval this year.
Among them will be the upgraded change rooms and a much bigger ground.
Power said Tigers' game plan will reflect the much wider Robertson Oval.
"You certainly have to take that into account," Power said.
"We've been pretty lucky that we've known the new dimensions all the way through.
"We've been looking at a few ideas as to how we adjust our style of footy to suit our new home ground."
Tigers remain hopeful of playing a trial game on the ground prior to the March 2 AFL NAB Cup clash between Greater Western Sydney (GWS) and Brisbane Lions.