Pies and Lions fans celebrate ahead of AFL Grand Final Parade
Thousands of Collingwood and Brisbane Lions fans flocked to the streets of Melbourne to catch a glimpse of their heroes ahead of Saturday’s big game.
The AFL Grand Final Parade drew thousands of passionate footy fans to the streets of Melbourne on Friday, as the event went back to its traditions on land with a twist.
After last year’s parade floated down the Yarra River, attracting criticism from fans that they could barely see the flotilla, the parade bounced back with its new route.
Fans young and old gathered to see their favourite players and coaches travel down utes in a motorcade starting at Melbourne Park, moving through Birrarung Marr before finishing up at Yarra Park, were a Footy Festival awaited.
Brisbane Lions fans dressed in blue, maroon and yellow couldn’t help but stand out among the sea of Collingwood supporters, but if the atmosphere was anything to go by, there was nothing but excitement and a healthy dose of competition between the two camps.
Andrew Livingstone, an original Fitzroy Lions turned Brisbane Lions supporter, went to the parade with his son, brother and nephew.
The four have tickets to the game and are hopeful their team will bring home a win.
“Since we were little kids, we were Fitzroy Football Club supporters, our parents were, our grandparents were. Then we lost Fitzroy and jumped on the Brisbane lions” Andrew told The Australian.
“I think there’s clearly an some old Victorian-Fitzroy football club members … We don’t get up to Brisbane too much to watch them in Brisbane games. but we’re part of that Melbourne offshoot.”
Long-time Collingwood supporters Nick Lyon, 32 went to the parade with his younger sister Jessica, 29 as well as his wife and nine-month-old boy dressed in the team’s jersey.
But Nick and Jess’ childhood household was divided, with their Mum a diehard Collingwood fan and their father a Richmond supporter.
“Mum got in first and when we were babies, would sing the Collingwood theme song to us every night. So we were basically brainwashed from birth and we’ve been following them ever since,” Nick said.
“We’ve never been to the parade before, we’re only here for [my nephew],” Jess added.
Maree Ruffo, 27, who said she had “no choice” but to barrack for Collingwood, will be going to the game with her family of seven on Saturday.
“My grandfather immigrated from Italy and he went for the Juventus, who were black and white and so when he moved to Australia, the black and white team was Collingwood so from then my mum barracked for Collingwood and then from then we were born with Collingwood colours on,” she said.
Ruffo has been a club member for 16 years and laughs off the infamous reputation anointed to Collingwood fans.
“The more the more the hate the better it gets,” she joked.
Evie Lindstrom, who travelled down from Brisbane with her mum, said she couldn’t miss the opportunity to see the Lions play off in the finals.
The long-time fan travelled for four of the team’s past premierships and said she felt “unbelievably” outnumbered at the parade.
“You just can’t beat it. We know all the players, there’s a great coach. They’re great,” Evie said.
“We were lucky to get tickets. I think we’ll head to the G early and soak the atmosphere up. It’s insane here [at the parade] today, it’s nothing like I’ve ever imagined.”
Following the parade, Collingwood captain Darcy Moore admitted there would be a “lovely personal touch” if his team were to win, with his father, former captain and Brownlow medallist Peter Moore, locked in to present the premiership cup.
“The whole team has been dreaming for the last week or so since we’ve qualified, it’s exciting … you dream of it as a kid,” he said.
“Hopefully it happens, we’ve done a lot of dreaming but now it’s time to get up and perform.”
While hundreds of thousands fans enjoyed the day’s festivities, Extinction Rebellion protesters temporarily disrupted the parade by gluing themselves to the road.
Security at the event worked quickly to remote the climate protesters who were shirts that said “climate breakdown as begun” and “No footy in 50 degrees C”.
Anthony Albanese confirmed he would attend the Grand Final on Saturday, where the AFL confirmed rock band KISS would be the game’s halftime entertainment, but conceded he was a Hawthorn fan.
“I hope it is a very tight game. I will be making my formal tip at the brekky tomorrow morning. I just hope it is a great game,” the Prime Minister said.
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