The AFL (Australian Football League for those non-Australians ... you can get a crash course here) grand final is one of those times of the year when I really do miss home. Being in Melbourne on the last weekend in September is always a thrill, even if your team is not playing. The atmosphere in the city is amazing and the talk of 'What are you doing for the grand final?' is almost as persistent as when discussing plans for (the always disappointing) New Years Eve celebrations. One difference though is that you're always guaranteed a great time for the grand final, regardless of the outcome. I love watching the pre-match entertainment (Paul Kelly this year), watching the players come onto the ground to warm up and when they finally appear for the game, the roar of the nearly 100,000 strong crowd is phenomenal.
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| Abbey (the cone head ... more on that later!) enjoys the AFL grand final |
This year's game was no exception. I purchased a finals package on the internet for $15 which allowed us to watch all the finals games live. We only ended up watching the grand final though and the money was well worth it. C and I were cheering for Hawthorn, a Melbourne based team, but we had a soft spot for the Sydney ruckman Mike Pike (who names their child with rhyming names?!) who is a Canadian newcomer to the game. The game was incredibly close which made it all the easier to stay up until 1.30am to watch the game and the presentations afterwards. I always knew that I'd feel a pang of homesickness watching the grand final but it quickly passed and I felt happy and proud to share my country's game with C and Abbey. Next year, I plan to subscribe to the online service for the whole season so I can get a hit of Australian football every week.
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