Standing room only as AFL grand final parade kicks off

The threat of rain did little to deter footy fans from swarming Melbourne Park, as the AFL Grand Final parade rolled past the MCG.

There was a festive atmosphere as Brisbane and Fremantle players smiled and waved at the gathered masses during the parade.

Lions captain Lachie Neale was slightly less animated during the procession, giving brief waves as a smattering of boos could be heard as he drove past.

Neale received a last minute reprieve from the AFL Appeal Board last night, allowing him to play against his old side in his fifth grand final tomorrow.

But Lions fans were in force to show their team love and drown out the boos, with some admitting there was a sense of déjà vu to proceedings.

Brisbane will play in its fourth grand final in as many years, hoping to replicate its success of the early 2000s with another three-peat.

In contrast, Fremantle are still searching for its first flag, having lost its only grand final appearance in 2013.

Freo captain Alex Pearce was soaking in the adulation from fans during the parade, as the veteran defender gets ready to play in his first ever grand final.

"It's been great seeing so many Freo fans that have turned up, it doesn't surprise us, they've been with us all year," Pearce said.

"I've got to know them over the 13 years I've been at this club, they're the most passionate fans in the league."

Despite some more than 3,000km of distance, there was no shortage of Fremantle fans at Melbourne Park.

Many fans said they had flown in from WA during the week, hoping for the chance to glimpse a history-making win.

It wouldn't be the sacred last weekend in September without an appearance from Mike Brady, who had the crowd laughing before performing his customary rousing rendition of Up There Cazaly.

"You'll know this song ... I call it my superannuation," he said.

There was some extra entertainment for younger fans too, as The Wiggles took to the stage to perform.

Interstate fans flock to Melbourne for big game

For some Lions fans, the AFL Grand Final parade has simply become an expected yearly pilgrimage.

Tomorrow, the Hall family will be attending their fourth grand final in a row.

Hayley, Henry, Abigail, William and Violet Hall all travelled down from the Sunshine Coast in the hopes of witnessing a premiership three-peat.

"We were here in 2023 when they lost to Collingwood, but we all believe that we wouldn't be going for our three-peat if we didn't lose that one," Hayley Hall said.

"You hope that you're always here the next year, but you just never know, so you just have to savour it as much as you can because you never know when you're gonna be back."

But for the youngest member of the Hall clan, grand final day has simply become the norm.

"She's five and she's been at four grand finals, so she's been living a very good life," Ms Hall said.

"She doesn't really know any different apart from the Lions winning, she's living the dream that one."

In contrast, Lions fans Delaney Biglin and Kyle Moore will be attending their first ever grand final tomorrow, having finally secured tickets.

They said the nerves were beginning to build, but were looking forward to seeing history be made regardless. 

"A bit nervous. We're either gonna see a three-peat or we're gonna see Freo's first granny, so it's gonna be great either way," Kyle said.

Freo fans Lee Lennon and Jo Crocos flew in from Perth this week, hoping to see their Dockers win their first flag in person.

"We booked in April and paid," Jo said.

"Very confident we were," Lee adds.

"And of course our flights were half-price, weren't they Jo, back in April." 

While it was Lee's first time at grand final festivities, Jo was returning after 13 years, having watched Fremantle go down to Hawthorn in the 2013 Grand Final.

The pair admitted they were nervous about the game tomorrow, but also quietly confident they could finally snatch the premiership from the Lions.

"I think really it's about time they had another loss so I think it's going to be to us," Lee said.

Sharon Isle and her son Jarvis have also been waiting a long time to see the Dockers win a flag.

Jarvis was just seven-years-old when Freo lost its last grand final, and is ready for the club to finally break through. 

"I'm hyped. I've been waiting you know 13 years, waiting another seven before that," Jarvis said.

"It's just been incredible to see the boys come this far and the entire country get behind them, not just people from Fremantle."

"We're flying back home on Sunday ... hopefully with our shirt saying AFL Premiers 2026," Sharon adds.

Grand final first-timers raring to go

For some players on both teams, it was the first time they have experienced the hype and hubbub of grand final weekend festivities.

Ruckman Sam Draper, who made the move to Brisbane this year in the hopes of playing in a grand final, said he was shocked coming out of his hotel this morning and seeing how many fans had gathered.

"It's pretty crazy seeing all the cameras and microphones in front me right now. It's a pretty big deal," Draper said.

"It's been really great having an experienced group. They've told me to just enjoy the week and just embrace it really. Charlie Cameron's been great, he likes to let me know how many grand finals he's played in."

Oscar Allen will also pull on the guernsey tomorrow and play in his first grand final, after missing out as an emergency in West Coast's 2018 win.

He says things have changed since then.

"To be honest, I was 19-years-old [then] and my head was probably spinning," Allen said.

"A lot of the guys that I played with back then have reached out this week ... I'm just really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon."

"But it's probably more the families and partners. It's very stressful for them trying to sort everything out and I can't speak highly enough of how well the club's done in supporting them and making it a really smooth and easy process for us players so we can just focus on tomorrow afternoon."

Freo forward Jye Amiss said the thought of winning the club's first ever premiership in front of 100,000 people at the MCG had crossed all the players' minds.

"Yeah obviously those thoughts come into your head, you're not human if they don't,"

Amiss said.

"Obviously it would be awesome for our fans and our community, but our focus is on Saturday and getting the job done."

The Dockers have also selected 22-year-old Neil Erasmus for the grand final squad, with the young midfielder saying the magnitude of the occasion hasn't quite sunk in.

"Even just driving in here, seeing all the crowd felt like we were driving to the game almost but we've been pretty settled and it's been a bit of a normal away trip," he said.

"I think tomorrow the nerves will come.

"A lot of us haven't been here before so it's a first but the coach has done a really good job of sort of making it feel like a normal week."