The West Coast Eagles will continue to forge its rivalry with Sydney when the two teams again battle for the HMAS Sydney II Trophy as part of Gather Round tomorrow.
They have competed for the impressive silverware for the past 14 years with Sydney dominating recent matches and the Eagles will be aiming to reverse the trend.
Players from both clubs marked this historic match on neutral territory, with West Coast defender Jamaine Jones and Sydney youngster Cory Warner posing with specially designed Gather Round footballs on the steps of Parliament House in the middle of Adelaide.
They were accompanied by local navy personnel on the eve of the big game.
Since 2010 the Eagles and Swans have competed for the Trophy, recognising Sydney as the home port and Western Australia as the resting place of a vessel that has a significant presence in Australian maritime history.
Celebrated for her successful battles in the Mediterranean where she famously sank the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni, HMAS Sydney II and her crew of predominantly young men received a heroes welcome to Australia in February 1941.
She was then tasked with escorting troopships to South-East Asia, following an Indian Ocean Route along the west coast of WA. When returning from one of those voyages she encountered German auxiliary carrier the Kormoran just off the WA coast near Shark Bay.
The Kormoran was disguised as a Dutch merchant ship and used the element of surprise.
