AFL Grand Final: Fired-up Freo fans set tone for football’s grandest occasion against Brisbane Lions

Fremantle fans turned the MCG into a sea of purple as their heroes fine-tuned their preparation for the AFL grand final against Brisbane.

Thousands of supporters from both clubs turned out on Friday for a glimpse of their respective captain’s run sessions, which went off without a hitch.

It was the Dockers’ fans who were loudest, with more than 20,000 filling their designated half of level one and voicing their support with repeated “Freeeeoooooo!” chants.

“We see it in Perth how strong they are and passionate on a week-to-week basis, but we see it across the country as well,” Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick said.

“We’ve got a particularly strong fan base here in Melbourne and it’s not a surprise to us to hear them like we did. The number of them was just phenomenal and it feels like they’re all ready to go tomorrow as well.”

Many Fremantle have fans forked out thousands of dollars to fly to Melbourne.

Some took the long route via Bali or Singapore, while others made the 3300km drive across the Nullarbor. Dockers captain Alex Pearce was blown away by the support at Friday’s grand final parade, which wound its way towards Yarra Park.

“It’s been fantastic to see the amount of Freo fans that have turned up,” Pearce said.

“We’re not surprised. They’ve been with us all year and all through the finals series.

“To have them come all this way and support us today and tomorrow, it means the world to us, so thank you all.”

Brisbane superstar Lachie Neale was jeered by some sections of the crowd on the parade route after his successful appeal against a one-match ban for striking.

Neale lost his initial tribunal hearing but was cleared to play against his former club in the grand final after a successful appeal against the decision.

The build-up has been full of distractions again for Neale, who battled injuries leading into the Lions’ back-to-back flags over the past two seasons.

“These things tend to arise late in the year with injuries and this one’s probably a bit different with suspension, but I feel like I’m well equipped to deal with it and perform tomorrow,” Neale said. “You’re never really sure how these things are going to go, but I’m very happy it’s gone my way.”

As Fremantle fans soaked up their first grand final appearance in 13 years, it was business as usual for Brisbane.

The Lions are chasing a historic three-peat, having booked a spot in a fourth straight premiership decider.

Chris Fagan hammed it up with supporters, who have celebrated the Brisbane coach at every open training session since their appearance in the 2023 grand final.

Fagan had the crowd fixed on him as he playfully set out the cones for the captain’s run.

When he walked off the ground, for what could be the final time at an MCG training session, the dual premiership coach had supporters chanting his name.

Fagan comfortably received the biggest reception of any at the club, including stars players such as two-time Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft.

Lions goals songs, which will be played on grand final day, got a good run on the MCG speakers. But it was Country Roads, the anthem of the Gabba thanks to Charlie Cameron, that predictably had the biggest response.

If Brisbane beat Fremantle on Saturday at the MCG, Fagan will become only the seventh V/AFL coach to mastermind a premiership three-peat.

The Jock McHale medal is presented to the premiership coach — the Collingwood great has the league’s only four-peat.

“I’m only worried about the game tomorrow,” Fagan said, when asked about his future beyond this season.

“Every year for the last two or three years, I’ve had a chat with our CEO and president about when’s the right time for me to finish up.

“This is my 10th year, so I’ve been going for a while. I will get through this game and probably have the usual chat I’ve had every other year.”

Fagan’s long-time confidant Leigh Matthews — who coached the Lions to their 2001-03 three-peat — and former Brisbane captain Jonathan Brown discussed Fagan’s future earlier this week.

Brown suspects Fagan will want to try for four in a row if the Lions win, while Matthews said coaching was a lifestyle and Fagan might decide at some point he did not want to do it any more.

“That’s OK, it’s fair enough to speculate about it, but I honestly don’t know right at this point in time whether I will keep going or not,” Fagan said.

“I was like that last year and the year before, so we just have to work out the right time to go.

“It’s not the big issue — we have to play a big game tomorrow.”

As Fagan and the Lions try to win another premiership, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir and his team are looking to win Freo’s first flag.

Sitting next to Fagan, Longmuir said the goal was to make sure that whatever happened on Saturday, it was only the start of a successful Dockers era.

“I’ve thought about this moment for a number of years,” Longmuir said about the prospect of Fremantle winning the premiership.

“It would fill me with great pride to be able to do that. But win or lose tomorrow, it’s not the end of the journey.

“We want to create something that ‘Fages’ has created — where you’re contending for a number of years.”

Skipper Alex Pearce is also hungrily eyeing off the prospect of leading the Dockers to the holy grail.

“(It’s) definitely something that I have been conscious of,” Pearce said.

“But I think as it’s gotten closer to the game, I’ve been really mindful of controlling what we can control.

“And I’ve made sure that my efforts and attention and the team’s efforts and attention are going into things that matter and that can help us win on game day — and wanting to win really bad isn’t gonna help us.”