Twin tales of grand final redemption as Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions eye breakthrough flag

This is a story of twin grand final redemption.

Brisbane, a last-gasp loser against Collingwood last season, beaten by Bobby Hill and the clock.

Sydney, the Blood Stained Angels, already bleeding from grand final losses in 2014 and 2016 and 81 points behind Geelong when the final siren sounded in the 2022 decider.

Brisbane’s Chris Fagan, the official coaches’ coach of the year.

Sydney’s John Longmire, in his 14th season at the helm, the longest serving of all AFL coaches with just won flag, 2012, in his pocket.

It’s the first grand final not involving a Victorian team since West Coast beat Sydney in 2006.

Channel 7 is forecasting record TV eyeballs on the game, given Sydney’s presence, the Brisbane storyline and the fact Victorians, South Australians and West Australians, Tasmanians and just about everyone else will watch it anyway. And not just for the game, with the pre-match entertainment to be headlined by US pop sensation Katy Perry.

RUCK AND ROLL

This shapes as a sliding doors moment for a much-travelled ruck gun for hire.

Brodie Grundy, shipped out of Collingwood for salary cap reasons and into Melbourne, where he struggled for a spot behind Max Gawn.

He looked on with envy as his old Magpie teammates saluted last season, but now gets the chance to frank a celebrated 12-season career.

The Lions have lost their No. 1 ruck choice Oscar McInerney to injury in one of the heartbreak stories of the grand final.

His replacement Darcy Fort will play the most important role of his six-season career when he takes on Grundy at the first bounce.

His ability to neutralise the big Swan will be telling, as Brisbane’s Plan B is Joe Daniher, who is very much a required player in the Lions’ forward line.

NEALE’S HEEL

Dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, who spent seven seasons at Fremantle before heading to the Gabba, has been off the field and into a moon boot over the past month as he deals with a heel injury.

The dynamic midfielder, who will be critical around contest and clearance, says the injury has again required plenty of management but it won’t keep him out of the grand final.

HEARTACHE HOTEL

Co-captain of the Swans, Callum Mills, ranks alongside Oscar McInerney as the heartache stories of the big show.

Mills failed a fitness test on a suspect hamstring on Wednesday night, just 18 days after tweaking it.

He only returned in round 18 after overcoming a shoulder injury he suffered in a post-season mishap at the end of 2023.

Taylor Adams missed out on selection in Collingwood’s premiership team last season. Traded to the Swans, he looks like he has been overlooked again.

THE KATY SHOW

US singer Katy Perry headlines the pre-game entertainment, with a “surprise” Aussie set to join her on stage.

Perry, who is making her second appearance at the MCG after featuring at the 2020 ICC T20 Women’s World Cup final, reportedly wanted to sing two tracks from her controversial new album 143, but the AFL stood firm and told her she could do only one new song.

So the remainder will likely be from her biggest hits: I Kissed A Girl, Hot n Cold, California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework, Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), Wide Awake, Roar (does it show favouritism to the Lions?) and Dark Horse.

Brisbane, which heeded its lessons of last September and travelled to Melbourne a day early, was denied an opportunity to train on the ground on Thursday, as Perry was doing a full rehearsal.

The Lions trained instead a couple of hundred metres away at Punt Road Oval.

Perry is being paid an estimated $5 million for a performance that is expected to last between 10 and 15 minutes, starting between 1pm 1.30am. If it goes for 15, that’s $333,333 a minute of about $5500 a second.

Perry will be supported by Aussie artists Cody Simpson, an Olympic swimmer cum entertainer who will sing the national anthem, Christine Anu and her daughter Zipporah Corser-Anu, who will perform the First Nations Ceremony alongside the Songlines Youth Choir.

And, as always, Mike Brady who will perform Up Their Cazaly and other favourites during the AFL retiree motorcade ceremony.