A groundskeeper who transformed a Geelong bowling green into a stripy show of support for the Cats hopes he will not be in too much trouble.
Geelong fan and groundskeeper Jamie Wray transformed the green at the Belmont Bowls Club on Monday.
Jamie Wray pictured on the bowling green at the Belmont Bowls Club. Credit:Jason South
Geelong play the Sydney Swans in the AFL grand final on Saturday afternoon.
The avid Cats fan worked from 11am until 3pm to make sure the colourful surprise was ready.
“I’ve been a loyal fan for my whole life and I was chuffed when they got into the grand final,” Wray said on Tuesday.
Rather than “getting his scarf out” he said he’d thought he’d do something more dramatic.
The Cats-mad groundskeeper Jamie Wray at Belmont Bowls Club has painted one of the bowling greens in the Geelong colours ahead of the Grand Final against the Sydney Swans on Saturday. Credit:Jason South
“It’s a bit of a surprise for the club no doubt,” Wray said.
The bowls club’s bosses had no idea what he was planning.
“I musn’t be in too much of a pickle,” he said of the surprise.
The groundskeeper was inspired by his friend who painted a green in Melbourne with the colours of the Western Bulldogs when that club made it into the grand final in 2016.
“I’ve kept it under my hat for the past six years,” he said.
He hopes he hasn’t jinxed the team but thinks they’ll have the edge on Saturday.
“I’m quietly confident they’ll get the job done.”
And if not, he’ll never paint the green again.
Club board member Steve Davies said he spotted the new colour scheme as he arrived at the club on Monday.
“I was wondering what was going on with the green,” Davies said.
“I thought it was interesting, and it’ll raise a few eyebrows.”
He added most of the members at the club were fanatical Cats supporters, like Wray.
For bowlers, the painted green wouldn’t disrupt play, with three other greens available for use.
“He’s [Wray] put it right outside our club so you can see it looking out the windows … he’s obviously done that on purpose,” he said.
“It’s created a lot more attention than we were expecting,” he said.
Wray will be at the MCG on Saturday with his son and father to watch the match.
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