AFL grand final 2021 LIVE updates Melbourne Demons Western Bulldogs count down to first bounce
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WA has recorded no new cases linked to a COVID positive NSW truck driver.
Earlier this week, WA authorities said there would be no disruption to the AFL grand final at this stage, despite the driver testing positive for COVID-19 after driving through the state last week.
The grand final will be played at Optus Stadium tonight.Credit:Getty Images
For the official health release click here.
The action kicked off early at Stadium Park ahead of the 5.15pm local bouncedown, with Demons, Bulldogs and neutral footy fans soaking up a carnival atmosphere around the precinct from lunchtime.
Fans in Perth on Saturday.Credit:Sharon Smith
Fans began filtering into the stadium precinct from 12pm, many crossing the iconic $91m Matagarup Bridge, named after the area’s traditional landowners the Whadjuk community and meaning a place where the river is only leg deep, allowing it to be crossed.
Music and entertainment greeted lucky ticket holders, some of them enjoying drinks at pop-up bars and an outdoor marquee and an array of food trucks, while live radio broadcasts outside the stadium featured AFL legends from WA and interstate.
A fan zone kept kids entertained, with a kicking challenge, inflatable skills, games and giveaways.
No rain was expected, with temperatures to reach 25 degrees and significant easterly wind gusts blowing up to 20km/h by bouncedown.
One of the keys to a Bulldogs premiership on Saturday did not play a game of footy for more than six years in his prime. That was when Alex Keath was trying to establish a first-class cricket career.
In one way, it held him in good stead. “Unfortunately, the best part of my cricket journey was my fielding,†he said. “That’s a bit of a waste when you’re a professional cricketer. It’s all about runs and wickets.â€
Alex Keath in action for the Bulldogs.Credit:AFL Photos
Keath said he did not produce quite enough of either, but stayed fit and mobile in the field. Besides, a footy was never far away. “Cricketers love getting the Sherrin out in the warm-up and telling you how good they are,†he said.
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Since the preliminary final win, I have marinated in the stories of Melbourne Football Club supporters who have waited so long for this.
As a Melbourne supporter, after decades of watching September fans in envy, to feel proud of this club is the win. Whatever happens next is a bonus.
Demons fan and footy tragic Rana Hussain enjoying a game at the ’G.
While the sporting success is pure joy itself, if you listen closely that is not what Demons fans are saying when they talk about what this moment means to them. They say things like “I was there when…†and, “I wish so-and-so was still here to see thisâ€.
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This year’s grand finalists have built their lists in a very similar fashion. The basic template is:
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Melbourne’s Christian Petracca.Credit:Getty Images
Melbourne’s oldest living player Ray Jones happens to live in Perth but the 96-year-old will only be watching the match on television as he can “see [the game] much better on TV than at the footyâ€.
The Age spoke to Jones, who played one game with Melbourne in 1949 after 22 games with Collingwood, this week from his residence Dockside in Perth.
Jones, more famous for his architecture than his football, studied under Robin Boyd at University of Melbourne before moving to Perth where he became a legendary figure with a retrospective exhibition at University of Western Australia titled Raymond Jones Architectural Projects held in 2011.
Renowned internationally for his work he is a football fan having tossed the coin at this year’s Anzac Day match, the 1934 grand final the first decider he attended.
He has no doubt where his loyalties lie today.
“I want the Demons to prevail, naturally,†Jones said.
However, the Geelong-born Jones did say it was almost “sacrilegious†to win a premiership away from the MCG.
“You have to call it how you see it,†he chuckled. A fierce intellect and a pioneer he will be parked in front of the television with his partner Sonja to watch Melbourne take on the Bulldogs.
The Southern Hemisphere’s largest watering hole increased capacity at its venue across from the ground for its biggest day of trading.
And it was probably a good thing, with long queues outside already ahead of the biggest day on Australia’s sporting calendar, held in Perth for the first time due to Melbourne’s ongoing lockdown.
Eager punters wanting to be as close to the action on field began arriving at The Camfield from 4am (WA time), the queue snaking around the venue well before 10am, with gates to Optus Stadium not open until 12pm.
Pub owner Tim McLernon said 20,000 litres of chilled beer, 25 TV screens and enough produce to serve thousands of meals had been prepped at The Camfield, with footy fans relishing the sun with Optus Stadium in full view.
Walk-ins were encouraged, but big queues were around the venue, given it’s the next best place to catch the match besides being inside the 60,000-seat arena.
Besides the picturesque venue’s 15 screens, Mr McLernon set up another 10, including two massive LED displays in the main bar and beer hall.
With thousands also expected to cram the only permanent licenced venue inside Stadium Park after the premiership was won, he predicted 40,000 pints would eventually be consumed by footy fans, as well as 5000 meals and 1000 pizzas.
The Camfield’s in-house Bevy Brewing Co was pouring a one-off beer brewed especially for the occasion â€" Rovers Draught, a hazy lager inspired by the Rovers Football Club, one of the WA Football Association’s four founding clubs established in 1885.
Western Australia’s warm embrace of the biggest sporting event on the country’s calendar and heartfelt empathy for those who traditionally host it will be reciprocated with more big-ticket blockbuster events in the future.
An impressed AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan admitted he was blown away by the reaction and support from WA football fans to Saturday’s historic twilight grand final at Optus Stadium.
Melbourne captain Max Gawn and Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli with the AFL Premiership Cup at Kings Park.Credit:Michael Wilson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
He said public reaction to decider between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs in front of a sell-out 60,000-strong crowd had caught him off guard.
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The decision to embrace a selfless attitude, not to mention stellar seasons from several stars, has been pivotal in Melbourne’s rise this season.
We look back at every Demons game of 2021 and how the Demons reached the showpiece event on Saturday in Perth.
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The Western Bulldogs have withstood a rollercoaster season of dizzying highs and torrid lows and their finals series reflected this en route to the grand final.
We recap every game of a tumultuous 2021 season.
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