17 April 2007

Hawthorn and Geelong will play for the beyondblue Cup in their Round 4 clash this Sunday 22 April 2007 at Aurora Stadium in Launceston.

"Hawthorn is eager to do battle for such a significant cause," Hawthorn Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"With Hawthorn holding the 2006 title, both sides will be looking towards securing the four points and the Cup," he said.

"Depression is a major issue in society and anything we can do to highlight it is worthwhile," Geelong Senior Coach Mark Thompson said.

"beyondblue do a fantastic job in helping people and we hope that by playing for the beyondblue Cup that people understand there is somewhere they can turn for assistance."

beyondblue CEO Leonie Young said: "The beyondblue Cup is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of depression at the footy.  We want people to know effective treatments are available for depression and it's important to get help early."

This week, in the lead-up to the beyondblue Cup, free community forums on depression will run across Tasmania with speakers including beyondblue Board Director and actor Garry McDonald and local health professionals.

One in five people in Australia will experience depression at some stage in their lives. beyondblue aims to increase awareness of depression and reduce the associated stigma. This game specifically aims to increase awareness of depression among the AFL community.