Instead of celebrating with the other 80,000 or so Collingwood supporters at last week’s win against Fremantle, cheer squad member Mitchell Taleb was busy on his phone advertising $200 return bus tickets to Sydney for Pies fans.
“As soon as the siren went against Fremantle everyone else was celebrating and I was just straight on my phone and sharing it [a bus flyer] on Facebook and I’m in about 20 Collingwood groups on Facebook,” the 24-year-old Pies supporter said.
Collingwood fans will make the 10-hour bus ride to Sydney to cheer on the Pies for Saturday’s preliminary final showdown against the SwansCredit:Wayne Taylor
In less than six hours Taleb had sold more than 100 tickets for two 57-seater buses through Facebook Magpie fan pages including his own, Collingwood Army, that has 6000 followers.
The tickets were snapped up by diehard Magpie fans desperate to see their team battle it out at the SCG in Saturday’s preliminary final, the first played at the ground since 1996.
“I knew flights were gonna be expensive. So, I’m just like ‘I’m gonna get one bus going’ and then one bus turned into two, two turned to three, and then three turned into four,” Taleb explained.
Now, there is a fifth and final bus booked that has also reached full capacity. Close to 300 passengers were scheduled to leave Melbourne’s Southern Cross station at 1am Saturday. They were due to arrive in Sydney at 11am before heading back home after the match at around 11pm.
Bikini designer Kristen Kostic from Williamstown will be travelling on one of the five buses departing from Southern Cross station and said she was not bothered by the long journey ahead.
“I’m excited. I definitely have done worse, like I’ve travelled heaps and this is nothing. It’s gonna be so fun,” she said.
Like many of her fellow passengers, Kostic has had to rearrange her schedule to cheer for Collingwood in their biggest match of the season.
“Everyone’s angry at me right now because I’ve had to cancel so many things and pull out of work,” she said.
Mohamed Abdelaal, who hasn’t missed a Pies home game (before COVID) since 1991, and wasn’t in Sydney for the club’s round 22 loss to Sydney, said his presence would be key for his club’s win.
“Every time I’ve gone to Sydney we haven’t lost,” he said. “I am the lucky charm.”
The 45-year-old from Ocean Grove spent time working for the club as an assistant property steward in the 1990s, holding the windbreak during matches and even playing a role in the famous 1990 grand final against Essendon.
“I took the stretcher out to go and bring Gavin Brown in when Terry Daniher … punched him,” Abdelaal said.
The lifelong Collingwood fan said skipping work for the match wouldn’t be an issue for his employer. “Whenever I work, my first thing when I sign a contract in hospitality is whenever Collingwood plays, I’m not there,” he said
The atmosphere on the fan-organised buses is promised to be festive and involve plenty of singing.
“Someone on the bus has actually organised a list of chants for us to sing,” said organiser Taleb. “Everyone is trying to do their bit.
“I am hoping people get some rest and freshen up, but … I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he added.
The buses will arrive in Sydney and head straight to a pub near the SCG before first bounce at 4.45 pm.
A “Collingwood Army” march is planned for around 3pm, when an estimated 400 Collingwood supporters, 120 from the buses, will march to the ground to announce their arrival.
Collingwood members snapped up the 14,000 tickets allocated to them for Saturday’s sold-out game, with the SCG having a capacity of 48,000.
Taleb, who will lead the fan march, is confident the presence of powerhouse midfielder Jordan De Goey, who was absent due to injury in their round 22 defeat to Sydney, will make a big difference.
“De Goey has been our best player for the last two finals games and he lives up to these big moments. He could be the difference between a win or a loss,” said Taleb.
