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Rain to stay away during the grand final
The grand final should be dry for the players despite earlier showers, according the weather bureau.
There were a few showers early on Saturday morning but despite a few clouds lingering the rain would have cleared for the afternoon, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Bri McPherson said.
A partly cloudy day is expected for Melbourne for the grand final, with a top of 15C. Credit:Getty
“There’s just been a few tiny showers about, but they’ve pretty much all cleared,” McPherson said.
It will hit a top of 15C around 2.30pm and in time for first bounce, she added.
It was expected to be a partly cloudy day and winds would pick up at around lunchtime 20 km per hour, the forecaster said.
The forecaster said there might be the odd shower, but they were more likely in the morning.
It was going to be a “very Melbourne day” but without the rain, McPherson said.
North Melbourne president farewells outgoing AFL boss amid turbulent week
By Marta Pascual Juanola
North Melbourne president Sonja Hood has used her speech at the breakfast to farewell departing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan.
“As you’re currently moving house I should say I hope your relocation goes better than the two times you tried to relocate us,” Hood said.
“Given it is your last appearance and given it’s my first and because I want you to think kindly of me when I hit you up for tickets to the Olympics opening ceremony I’m going to depart from tradition,” she said.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan (left) and North Melbourne President Dr Sonja Hood on Saturday.Credit:AAP
“Gil, you’ve been a great support for me through a very character building time and I want to thank you and wish you all the very best.”
Hood also took the opportunity to remind the audience of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s last appearance at the event.
“My predecessor made the mistake of sledding you in this speech, and you delivered one of the greatest responses I’ve ever seen,” Hood said.
“So I promise my welcome is going to leave it at welcome.”
Albanese famously attended the 2019 breakfast fresh from watching his beloved the Rabbitohs lose to the Raiders in the NRL preliminary finals the night before.
When roasted by then-North Melbourne chairman Ben Buckley about losing the unlosable election Albanese hit back:
“True, the election outcome was not what we wanted, but we finished second. How did you go?”
The Kangaroos finished 12th that year and missed out on the finals
Late change expected for Geelong with Max Holmes injured
By Peter Ryan
Geelong is expected to make a late withdrawal with dashing wingman Max Holmes to miss the grand final due to a hamstring injury suffered in the preliminary final.
The 20-year-old did a fitness test on Friday morning, but the Cats decided not to take the risk in the decider.
Max Holmes was a frustrated man after heading to the bench at the preliminary final and won’t play at the grand final. Credit:Getty Images
Holmes was one of the Cats’ best players in the preliminary final before his injury and his run on the wing will be missed.
Inside midfielder Brandan Parfitt is his likely replacement in the 23. Swans forward Sam Reid is also in doubt with a troublesome groin.
A kicking action that turns heads: Gryan Miers’ Buddy act
By Greg Baum
If Gryan Miers scores the winner for Geelong in Saturday’s grand final, it will bug Sydney doubly to know that his unique kicking style is modelled on their great Lance Franklin.
“It came from actually copying ‘Buddy’ when I was kid because I could kick further and gain extra distance kicking like that when I was a little tacker,” Miers said. “Then it just kind of developed into what it is today. I’ve worked on a few things, so it is a bit more accurate than it used to be, and [now] it’s my own thing, I guess.”
Gryan Miers at full tilt for the Cats.Credit:AFL Photos
The Age’s chief AFL writer, Jake Niall previews Saturday’s AFL grand final blockbuster between the Cats and the Swans at the MCG.
There is more to Miers’ football than his curvaceous kicking action. His tireless end-to-end running is one of several ways in which the Cat have improved this year, so that the nearly team of the last two years are favourites to win an overdue premiership this year.
But Miers and his kicking will continue to excite comment for as long as he plays. It is like his Christian name, not seen every day.
Fans head to the AFL grand final breakfast
By Marta Pascual Juanola
Fans wearing the colours of Geelong and Sydney have begun to pour into the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the North Melbourne grand final breakfast.
The event has become an AFL institution where the prime minister and opposition leader take a break from politics to make a few sporting remarks.
Geelong fan Rick Phillips at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the North Melbourne grand final breakfast. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola
Former prime minister Bob Hawke, once described the event as “one of this nation’s great traditions”, while John Howard called it a “a tremendous institution”.
Rick Phillips flew in from South Australia with his two sons for the game.
The die-hard Cats fan has made it a tradition having flown into Victoria to watch the team play in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
“I was living overseas when the Adelaide Crows came into the competition, and I’ve supported Geelong for many, many years and so never got caught up in the hype of a South Australian team,” Phillips said.
“I’ve stuck with Geelong from all those 44 losing years without it without a premiership.”
Cats fans Isabel Harbison, Suzanne Harbison, Max Harbison and Leanne Durante with Dolly at the parade on Friday. Credit:Scott McNaughton
Phillips, who got the Geelong logo tattoos on his wrist during a “midlife crisis”, says the team has been a source of joy for many years, but he wants to avoid calling a victory too early.
“You’re a Cats supporter for all those decades. You’re always nervous,” he said.
“They had some, you know, magnificent wins. And then I’ve had some wins or losses that they just shouldn’t have lost.”
The first grand final breakfast was held at the Southern Cross hotel in 1967 as a means to raise funds for the club.
The event gained importance in the 1970s after it began to be broadcast on TV across Victoria and was endorsed as an official pre-match function.
The AFL grand final teams named
By Scott Spits
The final announcements on teams and positions have been made, here are all the details:
Delta Goodrem to perform with Robbie Williams at the AFL Grand Final
By Meg Watson
It’s going to be a huge afternoon of early-2000s nostalgia: Delta Goodrem will be joining Robbie Williams on stage during the pre-game entertainment for Saturday’s AFL Grand Final. The news was confirmed at a media call on Thursday afternoon, after weeks of rumours regarding a surprise guest act.
Williams himself announced the news, calling Goodrem “the loveliest person – both inside and out; beautiful and incredibly talented”. Goodrem then walked out on to the field with a Sherrin, firing off a perfect kick to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan while wearing hot pink heels.
This comes just a couple of weeks after Goodrem performed the national anthem at the Brisbane v Melbourne semi-final to much acclaim.
Grand final ratings record on cards after Buddy signing boosts Swans
By Malcolm Conn
The Buddy effect is set to help the Swans break their grand final ratings record of 4.4 million viewers according to AFL CEO Gill McLachlan, who welcomed Lance Franklin’s signing for another year at Sydney.
“Where the viewership numbers are at, there’s a fair chance that this is the highest rating grand final ever,” McLachlan told radio SEN on Tuesday.
AFL CEO Gill McLachlan says its “fabulous” Lance Franklin has signed on to play next season with the Swans.Credit:Janie Barrett
McLachlan said the highest-rating grand final in history was the 1996 decider, when 4.4m watched the Swan lose to North Melbourne a week after Tony Lockett kicked that preliminary final post-siren point at a packed SCG.
The 1996 figure marginally shades the viewership for Swans’ 2005 triumph against West Coast, which featured Leo Barry’s heroic match-saving mark and broke a 72-year Swans premiership drought.
AFL Grand Final morning
By Caroline Schelle
Hello everyone and welcome to our AFL grand final live blog as we count down to game time for the season-decider.
I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’m excited to be anchoring the blog for the first half of the day.
Geelong and Sydney will battle it out to decide the 2022 premiership winner with first bounce at 2.30pm.
Until then we will keep you up to date with all the happenings ahead of the big game and below are some top sport reads to start your day.
Feel free to leave a comment on the blog at any time and enjoy the day!
