Melbourne hosts the 131st AFL grand final on Saturday, when Brisbane chase a third straight premiership and Fremantle try to win the first flag in the club’s 32-year history.
The ball is bounced at 2.30pm AEST at the MCG. It is the first time the Lions and the Dockers have met in a final of any kind.
Fremantle finished the home-and-away season as minor premiers and are playing in only their second grand final, after losing to Hawthorn in 2013. They beat Sydney in their preliminary final. The only meeting between the two sides this season went Fremantle’s way, by 25 points at the Gabba in round 12.
Brisbane beat Sydney and Geelong in the past two grand finals. Victory would give the club a second three-peat, after its premierships of 2001 to 2003.
Both coaches have named unchanged sides, and Lachie Neale will play after the AFL Appeal Board overturned his one-match suspension on Thursday night.
The numbers point to a contest between two different strengths. Brisbane rank first in the competition for clearance differential, winning 5.3 more a game than their opponents, and kicked eight goals from centre clearances against Hawthorn, the most in any final since 1999. Fremantle rank second for inside-50 differential at plus 6.5 a game.
The pre-match program starts well before the bounce. Kylie Minogue headlines the entertainment with a 20-minute set from about 1.30pm, after G Flip opens proceedings. Mike Brady will perform Up There Cazaly during the motorcade of retiring players, and Michael Paynter will sing the national anthem.
There is no half-time show.
The premiership cup will be presented by Brisbane great Simon Black, a Brownlow medallist and triple premiership player from the Lions’ last three-peat, and Shaun McManus, who played 228 games for Fremantle and was part of the club’s first season in 1995.
The match will be shown free-to-air on Channel Seven and 7plus.
Fans without a ticket can head to the free Footy Fest in Yarra Park, which runs until Saturday with Auskick activities, player appearances and food trucks.
At least two Fremantle supporters will have a bigger day than most. Danni Bloomfield and Matt Abbott, a couple for 15 years, have flown in from Karratha to get married outside the MCG on Saturday morning before the game.
At Friday’s grand final parade, Fremantle captain Alex Pearce paid tribute to the travelling fans. “They’re the most passionate fans in the league,” he said.