Applecross Local And AFL Great Glen Jakovich Named Premiership Cup Ambassador

Applecross local and AFL legend Glen Jakovich says he is honoured to have been chosen to carry one of Australia’s most treasured pieces of silverware into Optus Stadium for the historic AFL Grand Final in Perth next weekend.

But the two-time West Coast Eagles AFL premiership player has paid tribute to the raft of communities in regional Western Australia where grassroots football starts.

While the AFL Premiership Cup has snaked its way around our state for the past fortnight, Jakovich, the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup Ambassador, said he would start his official ambassadorial duties on Sunday at the Brownlow event.

The 2008 AFL Hall of Fame inductee, two-time All Australian and four-time West Coast Eagles Club champion said he was proud to represent the AFL and be part of the finals celebrations.

On a local level, Jakovich has long been involved with the Applecross Mount Pleasant Hawks Junior Football Club as a coach and part of the committee’s sponsorship team.

“I’m extremely thrilled and overwhelmed to be bestowed this honour as the Premiership Cup Ambassador for 2021,” Jakovich said.

Fellow Perth footy champions have also been selected to present awards at the Grand Final. John Worsfold will present the Jock McHale Medal to the premiership coach and Andrew Embley, a past winner, will award the Norm Smith Medal.He said he was excited about Perth hosting one of the country’s biggest sporting events in our backyard for the first time.

Since September 6, the Premiership Cup has been on a trip of WA starting in Kununurra and travelling south through local football communities in Halls Creek, Karratha, Exmouth and Geraldton, as well as Melville, Kalgoorlie, Manjimup and Margaret River.

The Cup has also visited some of WA’s most iconic locations, including the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Broome’s Cable Beach and Karinjini National Park.

“Given that the Grand Final is outside Victoria for the second time in its history, the tour is a great opportunity to showcase our great game, but also to acknowledge a lot of the stakeholders and grassroots communities that produce great football people and footballers – men and women,” Jakovich said.

He said the list of homegrown WA AFL footy champions was extensive.

“Sam Petrevski-Seton at Carlton is from Fitzroy Crossing and spent time in Halls Creek. Dean Cox came out of the Gascoyne from Dampier, then you look to the Goldfields, which is Dean Kemp and Dom Sheed territory, and to Lake Grace. Mark Bairstow played for Geelong and we’ve produced Sandover Medallist and a dual Brownlow medallist in Nat Fyfe.

“A lot of those great towns like Pingelly where Nicky Winmar grew up, Jeff Farmer territory (Tambellup). Albany way produced a lot of good footballers – the Krakouer brothers (Mount Barker). So, when you look at the diversity of our footballers, it’s really important to remind people that football starts at the grassroots and that’s what this tour is all about.

“So, that’s where it’s really important that the kids – girls and boys – can get their hands on Australia’s most sought-after piece of silverware.

“They can look at it, they can touch it, they can feel it, but they can also set upon a dream to one day wanting to play our great game – and that’s what the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Cup Tour is all about.”

The tour concludes in Perth on Sunday, ahead of the AFL Grand Final week celebrations.