There will be tears in the rooms of the Adelaide Crows and Richmond Tigers whoever wins the AFL grand final

THE 2017 grand final will be one of the most emotional deciders in recent memory for both sides and their supporters, writes Fox Sports Kelli Underwood.

Adelaide’s Hugh Greenwood after the preliminary final win in the rooms with family and friends. Picture: Sarah Reed

AMID all the raucous celebrations in the Crows’ rooms last Friday night, I couldn’t take my eye off the woman in the corner.

First, Taylor Walker bounded in high-fiving his girlfriend, followed by a beaming Eddie Betts who embraced his son. The players hollered and roared as they linked arms. It was childlike excitement.

The woman in the corner watched on. She quietly shed a tear. It was Meredith Walsh.

Every AFL grand final is special. But some are more special than others.

In the past, the likes of Hawthorn and Geelong have been machine-like during grand final week. There were no over the top celebrations after a preliminary final win.

Just the acknowledgment that there was still one more victory to go.

But this grand final week has a more human element. Not one player has made it this far before. And both teams have had to overcome adversity to arrive at this destination.

Richmond’s adversity lies in years of disappointment and bad luck.

For so long, the Tigers have been the laughing stock of the competition, their fans getting used to taking holidays in September as they accepted their usual fate of finishing in the bottom half of the ladder.

Only 12 months ago, the positions of the coach and the directors were on the line. Disgruntled members didn’t believe the club leadership had the goods to take the Tigers to the finals.

Damian Hardwick, Peggy O’Neal and the board stood strong and steered the club from the brink of internal upheaval to the grand final – an exceptional achievement.

Last Saturday night at the MCG, grown men wept openly in the rooms. Hardwick strode in misty eyed. Wives and partners embraced with tears rolling down their cheeks.

Even Nathan Broad’s Nan, who had made the trip from Perth, was clutching a handkerchief and wiping away tears. Everyone was in a state of disbelief.

Some never thought they’d get this far. Adelaide’s adversity isn’t based on footy, but life. The sudden death of Phil Walsh was a tragedy on so many levels.

It was a tragedy for his family, for the AFL community and for the man himself, because he was at a point in his life where he’d secured his dream job and he never got to see where that could take him.

It was also a tragedy for the 40-odd young men who looked to him for direction, hanging on his every word and working together to try to realise his dream for their club.

Slowly the Adelaide players have been able to pick themselves up and put themselves back together. They’ve united after a truly tragic life event and have focused on the job – despite the desperate grief.

They’ve been the benchmark team all year, driven by more than just the quest to win the premiership. It’s a hard thing to put your finger on, but watching the Crows as they line up for the national anthem is an insight into the greater theme behind their campaign.

They’ve reached out to the world’s best sporting team for inspiration and influence. The All Blacks perform the haka before every game as a celebration of life triumphing over death.

And while the Crows’ stance is far from the haka, perhaps there’s something in the warrior pose that symbolises the path they’ve travelled, and where they’re heading next.

At 1.56pm on Saturday, both teams will take their positions for the national anthem. The past will disappear into the deafening roar of the crowd. And over the next two hours a new chapter will be written.

The only certainty is that tears will be shed in both rooms after the game, and for good reason.

SA-born journalist Kelli Underwood appears every Tuesday night on The Back Page on Fox Sports