AFL 2022: Follow all the Collingwood news in the lead-in to the preliminary final

Magpies fans copped considerable delays, but Collingwood was happy with the result overall. Here is how it unfolded.

A happy Collingwood supporter.

Every Pies member who wanted a ticket to the Sydney-Collingwood clash was able to access one on Monday despite considerable delays with all 28,000 tickets available to fans sold.

Both fan bases were handed an allocation of 14,000 tickets at 10am, with enough left over that general admission tickets were available at 3pm before the game eventually sold out.

The league did not have figures on the breakdown of tickets sold to each fan base but Collingwood was happy every member keen to secure tickets was satisfied.

It means the SCG will be packed with 48,000 fans, with the league comfortable about the decision to hold the game at Sydney’s home ground.

Collingwood fans were able to snap up seats. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Accor Stadium, previously known as Stadium Australia, is available for AFL games and is vacant this weekend but does need several weeks of notice with its banks of retractable seats.

It holds over 80,000 fans and GWS hosted Sydney at the venue in round 1 to maximise its fan attendance.

But the league was happy to lock in the SCG last week, aware there could be stadium conflicts and that Fremantle could have won through to a preliminary final and affected the crowd number.

The Geelong-Brisbane game has already sold strongly after 43,300 seats were snapped up, with the AFL hopeful of a crowd of up to 75,000 fans for the Friday night clash.

EARLIER: PRESIDENT URGES PIES TO DECEND ON SYDNEY

Collingwood president Jeff Browne has urged an army of Pies fans to descend on Sydney for Saturday’s preliminary final as he hailed them as the best supporters in the AFL.

In a raucous MCG changerooms post-match Browne told the Herald Sun those fans could prove all the difference at the SCG.

“We are on the way to Sydney to play our way into a grand final, and I want as many Collingwood fans up there as we possibly can. Inside and outside the ground. Even if they have to stand outside the ground and listen to the roar.

“We came to the MCG and pulled a 90,000-plus crowd and we played a team from West Australia. There is one team in the competition that pulls the crowds, it’s Collingwood.”

Fans were furious about price gouging from Qantas and AFL sponsor Virgin on social media with return flights on Qantas at $1000 minimum.

A Qantas group spokesperson told News Corp on Sunday night said the airline was reviewing its schedule to see if it could add more flights in the coming days.

Magpie fans are showing up in huge numbers. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Melbourne-Sydney flights next Saturday #AFLPiesFreopic.twitter.com/wb0xbpcEZP

— Oliver Caffrey (@ollycaffrey) September 10, 2022

Collingwood ended a 2021 season having endured a salary cap crisis and the fallout of the Do Better report and with a new coach, president and board.

But after a second spectacular finals crowd of more than 90,000, Browne urged Pies fans to head north.

Asked if Pies fans should use trains, planes and automobiles to get to Sydney, Browne replied: “I will put buses on, I will put planes on, I will drive them up myself if I have to.”

Mason Cox celebrates with the Magpie army. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Fans will drive north in convoys given a real chance to secure tickets, with Pies star Jamie Elliott lauding Collingwood’s incredible fan base.

“I am sure if they can get up there they will,” he said of a membership that hit 100,000 for the first time this year.

“They are enormous for us, they are the best fans in Australia in the AFL, in any sporting code in Australia.

“Hopefully they are loud up there because we are going to need them. We will try to look after our side of things and they can look after their side.”

Originally published as AFL 2022: Follow all the Collingwood news in the lead-in to the preliminary final