Source : Perth Now news
Thousands of footy fans will make the pilgrimage to Melbourne ahead of the AFL’s grand final clash between the Fremantle Dockers and Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon.
Brisbane fans will hoping their team make it three wins in a row, while Fremantle’s Purple Army will be hoping to break a premiership drought.
Here’s everything you need to know about the AFL’s biggest day.
The game
The Brisbane Lions and the Fremantle Dockers will meet in a historic grand final, with the first siren sounding at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday.
Brisbane and Fremantle have opposite track records in grand finals, with Saturday marking Fremantle’s second grand final appearance and Brisbane’s fourth grand final in a row, with the Lions winning the last two.
The clash will be historic for both sides, as Fremantle look to win the club’s first premiership and end Brisbane’s hopes of a second three-peat since 2000.
Brisbane is favourite but will be without dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale after a gut punch on Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan earnt him a suspension for the biggest game of the year.
But with most of the focus on the field, there are a few key details that spectators need to know before the first bounce.
Fremantle fans have turned up in droves to farewell the Dockers in their last training session before the grand final.
Broadcast
The grand final will be available for viewers across the country on Channel 7.
For viewers in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, the game will kick off at 2.30pm local time.
For South Australian and Northern Territory fans, the game will start at 2pm ACST, and for Western Australia, the game will begin at 12.30pm AWST.
Coverage begins with the grand final brunch from 9am AEST.
Entertainment
Kylie Minogue will headline the pre-game show, with Australian singer G Flip opening the entertainment about 1pm.
Though Minogue may be the highlight, festivities for the AFL’s biggest day kick into gear on Friday.
The Wiggles will perform at Melbourne Park at 9.30am AEST before leading the grand final day parade at 10.30am AEST.
It begins at John Cain Arena and travels through Melbourne Park into Birrarung Marr, across William Barak bridge and finishes at the Footy Fest in the MCG precinct.
Alongside The Wiggles, the parade will also feature the coaches and players from both Brisbane and Fremantle.
Footy Fest is free and features many fun activities for fans and families alike.
Weather
Fans can expect showers on Saturday morning and afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a high chance of showers during the game and cloudy conditions.
This is a stark contrast to Friday’s public holiday, which looks fit for the many celebrations with a high of 26C.
Before the first siren sounds the morning looks to have the majority of the rain before clearing slightly in the afternoon.
“Temperatures are likely to be in the low teens, cool light-to-moderate southerly winds shouldn’t drop the ‘feels-like’ temperature too much,” Senior Meteorologist at News24 Alison Osborne said.
“That said, if you get wet and it gets breezy during the game one can feel chilled quickly. As for rain? It’s light and patchy during the afternoon, think periods of wet, then dry throughout the match.”
This is more than likely not going to be heavy enough to greatly impact the field of play but could still play an effect on the game.
“Most modelling is pointing to light falls 2-5mm, hardly a washout but any rain makes grass and the ball slippery!” Ms Osborne said.
“Some modelling places rain up to 12mm, this is the worst case scenario, could start to make things muddy.
“As the precipitation is likely to be light and patchy, the most likely scenario sees small wet periods, and extended dry breaks throughout the game.”
Public Transport
Fans who are making their way to the MCG can also take advantage of the increased public transport put in place to accommodate the expected 100,000 people at the game.
Spectators and attendees have also been urged not to drive to the Grand Final as there is no public parking at the MCG.
“If you’re heading to the Grand Final Parade or the big game, leave the car at home and take advantage of the extra public transport services scheduled to get you into the CBD or the MCG,” Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll said.
“As well as scheduling extra public transport services, we’re extending the Free Tram Zone to the MCG to make it easier for people heading to the Grand Final.
“Trains, trams, buses and coaches will also run along selected routes at night to help get fans home.”
Melbourne tram lines 48, 70, and 75 have been added to the city’s free tram zone, as well as an additional 184 tram services to move spectators on these routes to lessen the congestion of the likely sold out crowd.
In total, 38 extra train services have been added in the metropolitan area across the Mernda, Hurstbridge, Glen Waverley, Pakenham, Sandringham, Sunbury, Craigieburn, Lilydale, Belgrave and Frankston lines before and after the game.
Law and order
When it comes to actually entering the stadium, the AFL have a no-tolerance policy for any destructive or poor behaviour following the acts taken by groups of Hawthorn supporters the week prior.
Victorian Police Senior Sergeant Peter West told NOVA that “idiots” attempting similar acts would be kicked out and handed a ban from attending events.
“Look, one of the big things with it is that we want people to enjoy the day,” he said.
“We get 100,000 people — 99 per cent of those people will behave incredibly well and just want to be there, and it’s just that one per cent that we deal with and we won’t accept it.
“If people want to behave like an idiot, we’ll treat them like an idiot and they’re out, no doubt about it.”
Flights
Major Australian airlines have increased the number of flights as fans of the two out-of-state teams travel down to Melbourne.
Qantas and Jetstar have added 13 extra flights from Perth to Melbourne, which should add about 2300 seats, helping more Fremantle fans to support their club in winning its first grand final.
Qantas and Jetstar have also added seven flights between Brisbane and Melbourne, and an additional flight from Sydney.
Virgin Australia added almost 4000 seats from Perth to Melbourne, and 1000 seats between Brisbane and Melbourne.
The extra flights have not helped the price of flying as it remains a huge investment to travel down to experience the historic clash.
Across all three airlines, a two-way ticket from Perth to Melbourne is going to cost upwards of $1300 in airfares alone.
Brisbane is slightly cheaper, with the cheapest two-way ticket costing about $1000.
These prices do not include any sort of accommodation that would also have to be paid by anyone travelling to watch the Grand Final.
