Tens of thousands of dedicated fans from both the Brisbane Lions and Geelong braved intermittent rain on Friday as they lined the streets of Melbourne for the traditional annual grand final parade. The two-day event, which began at Melbourne Park and concluded at the SCG, made for a thrilling lead-up to the final championship game planned for Saturday. This year’s final is particularly unique. For the first time in the league’s 138-year history, Brisbane and Geelong will meet in the grand final.
Three weeks out from that parade, Brisbane and Geelong met in a stunning qualifying final on the MCG’s hallowed turf. Geelong emerged victorious, taking the win by a 38-point margin. Geelong defied recent grand final trends with their rather comfortable run in to the big day. They rattled through to taking the week off after beating Hawthorn in front of a league record crowd of 99,000 in their preliminary final.
Geelong’s future superstar, Ollie Dempsey, even dressed up as the star of the parade. He could barely contain his excitement when he spoke about the experiences he had last year.
“It was pretty flattening … I got a lot of people talking smack last year … It was still pretty fun but much better this year.” – Ollie Dempsey
Geelong’s Mark Blicavs enjoyed taking the river float in the Yarra River. He had a great day with his best mate, Tom Steele, which helped his mood soar. The pair reprised a favorite photo from 2022.
“Nah. We got a cool photo taken of us (in 2022) so I thought we try to do it again.” – Mark Blicavs
As the parade rolled on, Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield and Brisbane’s Lachie Neale hoisted the premiership cup high. It grew to the point where it was an incendiary symbol of their teams’ hopes for win.
The parade began at 10:30 AM, allowing participants and spectators to avoid the worst of the weather conditions on Friday. The route took players over the William Barak Bridge into the MCG Yarra Park Precinct, culminating at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Fans expressed their unwavering support for their teams throughout the event. Brisbane Lions player Josh Dunkley is all in for his new club. He emphasized the need to keep their eyes on the next challenge before them.
“I’ll support anyone, mate, whoever wants me. I’ll support them all, as long as we get out there and get the job done.” – Josh Dunkley
