Grand Final Parade

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Parade

The AFL Grand Final is always played at the MCG in Melbourne regardless of what teams are actually in the final. And as it turned out this year it was Sydney Swans v West Coast Eagles - neither a Victorian team. However, as AFL originated in Victoria many former Victorian teams have now moved state, Sydney used to be the old South Melbourne team and hence still have quite a large support base here.

Therefore, a Grand Final parade with both teams is always held in Melbourne the Friday before the game, and then a parade is held in the finalist’s respective cities the Monday after the game. The parade started down near Flinders, came up Swanston and then proceeded all the way up Collins to Treasury Gardens. I walked down Collins to meet Sonnie and Helen and could barely even cross the street - there was just one gap opposite 101! People were literally hanging from buildings, standing on tiny ledges, top of toilet signs - some West Coast fans even hopped up on top of the tram signs. Mind you the police were soon over to get them down. And opposite West Coast on the tram stop, some Swannies children had climbed up in a tree to get a view of the parade.

We didn’t have a great view of the parade and Sonnie being smaller than the average man was not impressed!! We did get to see the players go by, sitting out of their sunroofs some with their children in tow. And all the different mascots for the various teams got to strut their stuff!

Then I battled all the way up Collins again to the chants of the West Coast fans “Eagles, Eagles, Eagles”, it seems the whole West Coast flew over for the game. The city was packed full of yellow and blue scarves….not as many Swans were around for whatever reason?

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