As Gillon McLachlan declared the AFL’s biggest winner this year was Brisbane, a true test of will was unfolding in the background.
The AFL boss had just resolved a four-state fight by announcing the Gabba would host the 2020 grand final when a golf ball thudded into the turf not far behind him.
On a historic day for the competition in a truly bizarre year, the backdrop to the announcement was a picturesque Gold Coast golf course bordering the AFL’s quarantine resort.
McLachlan certainly looked the part of a Sunshine State advertising guru as he sported a well-cut suit while addressing journalists at a socially distanced range.
As one pundit on social media noted, the rangy former ruckman’s luxurious locks bore a striking resemblance to the stylised mullets that were once all the rage in this region.
The golfer appeared bemused by the spectacle unfolding on the deck above him.
Had he hooked it a few degrees further, he might have struck a great blow for the NRL against the invading code.
Not surprisingly, others did their best to deter McLachlan, perhaps fearing football’s version of the cane toad has been unleashed on the great rugby league and union state of Queensland.
More than once, McLachlan had to pause as someone bellowed “get in the hole” from the adjoining fairways.
The grand final announcement was accompanied by a vow to create a “festival of football” from Coolangatta to Cooktown over the next two months.
The Brisbane Lions are flying high and ferociously at a time the Broncos are enduring a wildly bucking season, lurching from a loss to a crisis and back again.
The AFL’s television ratings have blossomed in Queensland this year.
Given the location and night timeslot, which follows the 100th running of the Cox Plate earlier on October 24, another record television audience is on the offing.
Although only 30,000 fans will see the match live, expect the demand for tickets to be through the roof if the local legends get their act together.
Powderfinger, that is, who are the rumoured band of choice for halftime entertainment after dazzling the MCG back in 2008, though the presence of the Lions would also be a significant boost.
Given the circumstances, a replay on Sunday might be almost as well viewed for footy fans who, unaccustomed to such a late start for the granny, try to remember through a VB fog what actually happened after half-time.
The code is hoping an extraordinary season will leave a lasting imprint about a game known as aerial ping pong to many. Not everyone is sure.
The wags at The Betoota Advocate took great pleasure in creating a satirical vox pop of Queensland’s three footy fans.
The scene was set at The Pineapple Hotel, just down the road from the Gabba.
Not long after, news filtered through that The September Club, a premier grand final function, could be temporarily relocated to a car park behind the establishment for the day.
Expect The Pineapple to be pumping, particularly if the Lions roar.
🤣 🤣 🤣 https://t.co/pRsn04q3mC
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) September 2, 2020
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