A new footy festival in Yarra Park and the arrival of the grand final parade on our doorstep made for an even more exciting buildup to the battle for AFL supremacy.
For the third year in succession, the MCG played host to a Hawthorn triumph in the AFL Grand Final, this time with a 46-point win over West Coast Eagles.
Alastair Clarkson’s men assumed control of the contest early on a very warm day and were rarely challenged. Mercurial forward Cyril Rioli won the Norm Smith Medal, emulating his uncle Maurice in 1982, while Sam Mitchell and Jack Gunston were influential throughout the match.
While the result on grand final day may be getting repetitive for non-Hawks fans, the build up to the match during the week took a big twist, thanks largely to the introduction of a public holiday on grand final eve.
In a bid to better incorporate the MCG into the build-up to the big day, the AFL developed the Foxtel Footy Festival.
Held outside the MCG in Yarra Park from Wednesday of grand final week through to the Saturday, there were a range of activities, night and day, including a live site with player appearances, clinics, stage shows and food and music exhibits.
Of interest to many was the dusting off of the infamous “batmobile” that Angry Anderson used to enter VFL Park for his half-time performance at the 1991 grand final between the Hawks and Eagles.
Interest in the entire festival grew as the week progressed and is bound to expand in popularity second time around.
The AFL also moved the grand final route so that it finished outside MCG Gate 3 in Yarra Park.
Conditions were quite hot at lunchtime on Friday, but it didn’t stop tens of thousands, including many visitors from Western Australia, descending on the ‘G and its outskirts to see their heroes.
The following day, several thousand MCC Full members took their place in the queue outside Gate 2 for walk-up seating in the Reserve to see the big match.
The club had announced early in grand final week that it would review the early walk-up numbers of Full members and guest cardholders before determining whether Restricted members would be afforded access.
So it was that after the initial queue cleared and the day unfolded it was felt the Members Reserve may not reach capacity. At 12.45pm, members were informed that entry tickets would be sold to Restricted members at 1.00pm.
Despite more than 200 Restricted members purchasing an entry ticket at late notice, the final ground attendance of 98,633 featured an MCC Reserve around 400 people short of capacity. A similar shortfall occurred in the AFL Reserve.
After the Hawks hoisted the trophy aloft, thousands of fans entered the arena or stayed in the grandstands to enjoy a free concert from pre-game performers Bryan Adams and Ellie Goulding before the victors were presented on stage to the delight of their fans.
The next day, almost 20,000 people flocked to MCG Open Day, taking the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Australia’s favourite stadium.
Along with a kick on the turf and having a photo taken with the replica AFL premiership cup and Cricket World Cup trophy, it was the changerooms and the hallowed Long Room that were the most popular spots being absorbed by visitors.