The Adelaide Crows’ premiership build-up hits fever pitch on Friday when players assemble for the annual Grand Final Parade
CROW Hugh Greenwood is ready to go as tens of thousands of cheering footy fans pack Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final Parade.
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CROWS players are done with training and are dealing with the glare of an AFL grand final as they paraded through Melbourne’s CBD in front of thousands of fans.
And Adelaide, after closing its training program with a closed session at the MCG on Friday morning, is destined to take the field against Richmond at the MCG on Saturday with its named 22.
This follows rookie-listed midfielder Hugh Greenwood insisting he is fit to play after carrying doubts with a calf strain in the past fortnight.
“I feel great; I feel fine,” said Greenwood at the MCG on Friday.
“I’ve ticked all the boxes this week and am raring to go.”
Adelaide has named an unchanged line-up with coach Don Pyke standing by the 22 who blitzed Geelong by 61 points in the preliminary final at Adelaide Oval last Friday.
Richmond also is unchanged from the Tigers’ preliminary final win against Greater Western Sydney at the MCG on Saturday.
The Tigers had an open training session at Punt Road on Friday morning but needed to close the gates as the venue was swamped by Richmond fans eager for the club to end a 37-year premiership drought.
Brownlow Medallist and key midfielder Dustin Martin trained well to ease concerns he is carrying a rib injury into the Tigers’ first grand final since the 1982 loss to Carlton.
Tens of thousands of footy fans are expected to the line the Melbourne CBD route to cheer on their heroes on a public holiday before Saturday’s huge match.
The parade will wind its way through Melbourne’s CBD before finishing in Yarra Park outside the MCG where both teams will be presented on stage and captains Taylor Walker and Trent Cotchin will get their hands on the premiership cup.
Temporary bollards have been installed along the Grand Final parade route and also pedestrian corridors leading to the MCG so as to separate fans from vehicles.
More than 1000 uniformed and plainclothes police will be on the streets in an all-out effort to protect footy fans over the weekend.
Up to 30,000 Adelaide supporters are expected to make the MCG pilgrimage by train, plane and car in the lead up to the first ball up.
The Crows parade pairings are:
Car One — Taylor Walker (captain), Don Pyke (coach)
Car Two — Tom Lynch and son Koby Lynch, Josh Jenkins
Car Three — Matthew Crouch, Brad Crouch
Car Four — David Mackay and son Will Mackay, Andy Otten
Car Five — Daniel Talia, Kyle Hartigan
Car Six — Rory Sloane, Richard Douglas
Car Seven — Paul Seedsman, Hugh Greenwood
Car Eight — Sam Jacobs, Reilly O’Brien
Car Nine — Alex Keath, Wayne Milera Junior
Car 10 — Jake Lever, Jake Kelly
Car 11 — Luke Brown, Rory Laird
Car 12 — Riley Knight, Rory Atkins
Car 13 — Eddie Betts and sons Lewis and Billy, Charlie Cameron