Australians get ready for AFL Grand Final kick-off

From party bus with a pig roast spit to a day of ciders on ice, Aussies are stoked for AFL Grand Final day and the weather Gods have produced a stunner for the footy spectacular.

Some 100,000 fans are expected to attend the Brisbane Lions-Collingwood Magpies battle at the MCG on Saturday for the AFL Grand Final. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Excitement is brewing across Australia up for the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne today, with friends and families gathering in pubs and homes to watch the highly-anticipated clash between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Magpies.

A fan from Adelaide has the day mapped out with the “ciders on ice flowing nicely” as of 11am.

Let’s get #AFLGF day started!

Today will consist of:

Ciders
Background #Smackdown
Ciders
Enormous amounts of food#TheLongestKick on @FOXFOOTY
Ciders
Watching Kiss on the pre-game (LMAO its 1977)
Ciders
(Hopefully) a great game of Footy (Collingwood over Brisbane by 7)…

— Josh! (@JoshRobinson_00) September 29, 2023

One punter posted photos on sunny Noosa beach in Queensland with a pint.

At the MCG, a Collingwood “party bus” arrived with fans waving flags from the top and a pig on a spit roasting in the back.

The Collingwood party bus has arrived #AFLGF pic.twitter.com/LGMVfd1Nsw

— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) September 30, 2023

A Collingwood marching band getting supporters fired up before the game. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

Collingwood supporters are a major presence and expected to significantly outnumber Lions fans at the G. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

About 100,000 people are expected to attend the epic clash, which mirrors the 2002 and 2003 Grand Final battles between the two teams.

Melbourne has put on a hot and sunny day for the footy spectacular, with the game due to start at 2.30pm.

Temperatures tipped over the 29 degrees mark half an hour before the first bounce, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The city was absolutely buzzing on Saturday afternoon, with fans who missed out on tickets flooding to watch the match in pubs, homes and public live sites.

Visitors from Brisbane, Mitchell and Josh Bayley with Rob Kalaja hoping the Lions can pull off another grand final triumph over the Pies. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

Australians across the country are pumped for the battle between the Lions and the Magpies today. Friends and families will gather at homes and pubs for the 2.30pm kick-off. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

On Friday, thousands of fans had gathered for a Lions-Magpies parade before Saturday’s battle.

Shout out to Melbourne for putting on some decent weather for once 😂#AFLGrandFinal

— SèánoSerious (@MovedOnNotice) September 30, 2023

Punters were filing into the MCG early on the day of the final and Public Transport Victoria has registered no significant disruptions to commutes.

Collingwood go into the match as slight favourites, with experts predicting a classic grand final.

A Collingwood fan gets ready for the game. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

Hordes of Magpies fans gathered near the MCG in anticipation of the final. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Valeriu Campan

Fans will also be treated to a performance from rock legends KISS before the start of the match.

The music icons promised to “blow the roof off everything” in what will be their last ever gig in Melbourne.

Here comes the KISS stage!#AFLGrandFinal pic.twitter.com/p0ekUgAlNm

— Jules The Red 🐀 (@RedJules4) September 30, 2023