Crowds descend on MCG for grand final - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Crowds descend on MCG for grand final

27/09/2008 01:38:57 PM Comments (0)

Thousands of fans have descended on the Melbourne Cricket Ground ready to watch the first AFL grand final between two Victorian teams in eight years.

On a bright and sunny Melbourne day, the MCG was on Saturday morning awash with brown and gold and blue and white with many fans decked out from head to toe in their team colours.

Hawthorn fan Heather Brown said she created her brown and gold dress which sparkled with glitter, topped off with a cowboy hat, for the special occasion.

"We wanted a bit of a more feminine look," she said.

She said she was a bit stressed about the day and recalled attending the last Hawks grand final 17 years ago when she was only 13-years-old and tipped a similar result.

"Our hunger is different, Geelong they have already won it. I reckon it will be close, 20 points," she said.

Geelong family Dean and Vanessa Lander with their daughter Leanne,9, also thought it would be a close game with the Cats winning by 24 points.

"I think it's going to be a close and tough game," Dean Lander, 42, said.

At the North Melbourne Football Club grand final breakfast the premiership club presidents expressed excitement about the day.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said he was very relaxed and hopeful.

"There's not much I can do now but wait and hope that the players have the ability and drive to come ahead of our opponents," he said.

Geelong president Frank Costa said he was quietly confident of a win for the Cats by 29 points.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said Melbourne had produced a beautiful day for the grand final and tipped Geelong to win by four points.

Federal political leaders, who also attended the breakfast, continued their rivalry in the footy arena when they picked different teams to win the grand final.

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said while it pained her to agree with Kennett, she was backing the Hawks.

Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said he was tipping the Cats, conceding that with Kennett at the helm of the Hawks, that side had enough Liberal Party influence.

Other politicians in attendance included Simon Crean, Brendan Nelson and federal sports minister Kate Ellis, along with Olympians Emily Seebohm and Linda McKenzie.

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