Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Wharfie Time is coming to the MCG, but fans will have to endure John Denver as well.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has ruled that Fremantle can play the famous Wharfie Time activation, which has helped make Perth’s Optus Stadium a fortress at Dockers home games, at Saturday’s grand final.
Wharfie Time at Optus Stadium is signalled by the bells from AC/DC’s Hells Bells and huge waves crashing on the big screen when games are tight, during the last quarter. This would be the first time it’s happened outside of Perth.
The Brisbane Lions, equally, will hear their songs blared through the MCG audio system after goals, including John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads after Charlie Cameron goals.
Both are a departure from tradition, as grand finals are the domain of the AFL rather than the clubs and until recent years have been free from team-focused music and light shows during play.
Dillon said both clubs had been given the right to hype up their fans at Saturday’s decider.
“What we want for the grand final is something that engages our fans, and the fans of the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle,” Dillon said on 3AW.
“The Brisbane Lions fans love their songs after the goals and for Fremantle they run a different program that has a number of songs on rotation, but at potentially an appropriate time Wharfie Time gets played. If we do get to that stage of the game it will mean we’ve got a cracking game because it will be very close in the last quarter.”
Each Brisbane player has a song that is played after they kick a goal. For Kai Lohmann, it’s Daddy Cool, while a Sam Draper goal is greeted with Freed From Desire. You don’t have to wait for Cox Plate day to hear The Horses if dual North Smith medallist Will Ashcroft hits the scoreboard as he is evidently a Daryl Braithwaite fan.
“What we did was work through with the clubs during the week how the operations of the day work because it is a neutral game as opposed to the rest of the finals where we prioritise the team playing at their home ground,” Dillon explained.
“The Lions are really keen for their songs to be played after their goals. And so the flip of that, Fremantle do what they normally do at their Optus Stadium games. I’ve been fortunate enough to be at a couple of games at Optus Stadium this year and what Fremantle do is amazing, it really engages their fans.”
Follow our live blog of Lachie Neale’s appeals board hearing from 4pm
