Patersons not a problem
Patersons Stadium management is confident power problems at the ageing Subiaco venue will not impact AFL matches this season.
Power loss has plagued parts of the stadium during both AFL games in 2014. The ground's four light towers dimmed during the first quarter of Fremantle's win over Gold Coast last Saturday after an external power surge that affected the ground for up to 15 minutes.
West Coast's opening home fixture against the Western Bulldogs late last month was hit by a separate blackout.
An overload of the main switchboard led to one section on the Roberts Road side of the ground losing power during most of the half-time break.
In the area surrounding the Eagles headquarters, lighting went off and electrical equipment, including refrigerators, shut down. Power took about 20 minutes to return to normal.
An Eagles spokesman said the club had spoken to the WA Football Commission about the problem.
"We had no power in our function rooms on one side of the ground," the spokesman said.
"We had no power in our facility at the half-time break."
The WAFC has investigated the cause of both incidents.
All of the ground's lights, including the four towers, were being tested by the WAFC's electrical contractors during West Coast's training session on Tuesday.
Patersons Stadium general manager Gavin Taylor said the cases had been caused by "separate and unrelated circumstances".
He said neither incident had affected the lighting required to meet AFL standards.
"The power interruptions are seen as isolated cases and the WAFC is confident in the work being undertaken by electrical contractors to reduce any such occurrences again in the future," Taylor said.
The tests come ahead of tomorrow's clash between the Eagles and St Kilda which will finish after 7pm.
Stadium management will be desperate to avoid the worst-case scenario, which would involve a blackout stopping an AFL game.
The failure of two light towers at Darwin's TIO Stadium in 2011 forced a match between Port Adelaide and Richmond to be delayed.
