Feathers will fly at birthday gathering on the night of the AFL grand final

IT'S been a beautiful romance for the past two years, but it could all be over by tonight.

IT'S been a beautiful romance for the past two years, but it could all be over by tonight.

Real estate agents Marie Fabian and Kym Stone will have their relationship tested when their teams battle it out for a spot in the AFL grand final.

"It's going to be interesting - at the moment we're still talking to one another," Mr Stone, a Hawthorn supporter, said with a laugh. Today is Crows fan Ms Fabian's 48th birthday and she's celebrating with a gathering at the Birkenhead Tavern. However, they made sure to rearrange things so they could get there early and watch the big match at the MCG from 4.45pm.

"I called up to make sure we'd be able to see the television otherwise we would have been a no-show," Ms Fabian said.

In fact, some of her friends wondered whether the footy would be more important to her than her birthday.

"A few people asked if the dinner was cancelled because they thought I would be going to Melbourne," she said.

"If the dinner wasn't already organised I might have gone, but it's pretty expensive for families to go over. Plus I had my open inspections arranged. It would have been fabulous to be there though."

Most of the 20 guests are Crows fans, so the night could be a fizzer if the Hawks prevail.

"Depending on what happens, I might not be in a good mood for my party," Ms Fabian said.

"It's my birthday, the Crows have to win for me, don't they?"

Her sons, Tom and Jack, both go for the Crows while Kym's son, Daniel, is a Hawks fan.

So only Daniel and Mr Stone will be flying the brown and gold flag at the party. Thankfully the couple live separately  Ms Fabian is at Para Vista, while Mr Stone is at Salisbury Plain, so if things get a bit tense, they can retire to separate houses to sulk in private.

Rather than the loser also paying for dinner, Ms Fabian suggested the winner shouts, to cheer the other up a bit. "The loser is already unhappy, no need to make it worse," she said.

So which one of the pair is the worst sport?

"Kym, definitely," Ms Fabian said with a laugh.

"I'll cop that," he replied, "I'll probably end up sulking if we don't win  I might have to go and have a quiet drink on the balcony, get away from all the Crows supporters."

Tickets will be available at the gate for today's match. Prices start at $75 for adults.