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Posted: 2024-09-27 02:02:40

The Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions have made their way through the streets of Melbourne in the traditional AFL grand final parade ahead of Saturday's match.

A motorcade of utes featuring coaches and players from the prospective premiership teams journeyed from Melbourne Park Oval, travelling through Birrarung Marr, onto the MCG and finishing in Yarra Park.

A child sitting on the shoulders of a person wearing lion face paint.
Fans are putting on their fiercest face ahead of the grand final.()

Fans are putting on their fiercest face ahead of the grand final. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

Two men in muscular outfits

Some of Sydney and Brisbane's biggest fans were at the grand final parade. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

Football fans at a parade
One young Joe Daniher fan was up and about.()

One young Joe Daniher fan was up and about. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

Football fans at a parade

Swans fans waited for the team to arrive. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

Isaac Heeney

Sydney star Isaac Heeney was all smiles. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan

While Lions coach Chris Fagan kept his game face on. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

A mascot for the Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans mascot gave the fans a wave.()

The Sydney Swans mascot gave the fans a wave. (ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

A mascot for the Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions mascot was slightly more aggressive.()

The Brisbane Lions mascot was slightly more aggressive.(ABC News: Richard Sydenham)

A day before the first grand final clash between non-Victorian teams since 2006, Melbourne was inundated with fans travelling from interstate to see the game.

Jackson and Laura Marks travelled down from Brisbane on Tuesday and are hoping the Lions can deliver an anniversary gift for them.

"We're here for the wedding anniversary and then the grand final as well, so very excited, two celebrations," Laura said.

A pair of Brisbane Lions fans
Jackson and Laura Marks are celebrating their first anniversary with a trip to the MCG.()

Local Lions fans Eloise, Paul and Violet Ewart said they were proudly "Fitzroy through and through", and hoped the crowd was more evenly split than last year's grand final.

"There's no home crowd advantage this time, we're not going to get 80,000 screaming Collingwood fans against us," Paul said.

Brisbane Lions fans
Stuart Tierney and Sheldon and Cacindra Paice were proudly showing their colours at the parade.()

Sydney cheer squad members Sue Whitfield and Bernice Skerly were buzzing with excitement ahead of the game, and quietly confident that the Swans would be able to win the premiership.

"We know we're going to bring it home this year, I've just got a funny feeling," Sue said.

Two ladies in Swans colours
Bernice Skerly and Sue Whitfield at the grand final parade, wearing their custom-made diamante Sydney Swans hats.()

Helen Jurisice travelled down from Sydney to support her Swans, who she has supported for the past 20 years. 

"The little white shorts got me in," Helen said. 

 She said she was feeling confident about the game, and said the Swans would win by three goals.

Red nails on a womans hand
Helen Jurisice did her nails in Sydney colours for the game.()

Katherine Smith arrived from the Gold Coast for the game on Wednesday, and is hoping for a different result from the 2023 grand final.

"I was here last year, fancy two years in a row, how lucky am I?" she said.

Katherine said she and her friends had booked their tickets in August, which meant more than a few nervous moments for her as the Lions narrowly won thrillers against Greater Western Sydney and Geelong.

"I honestly thought I was going to have heart attack, I was feeling my pulse thinking 'oh my god'," Katherine said.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said despite a cold Friday morning, footy fans could expect more pleasant conditions when the players took to the field. 

"Warmer weather is expected in Melbourne on Saturday, with temperatures reaching the low to mid 20s for the opening bounce," Ms Bradbury said.

"These fine match-day conditions are a result of a high pressure system moving across Victoria, bringing clear skies and moderate northerly winds."

The BOM said if the temperature reached the forecast 23 degrees on Saturday, this year's Grand Final would rank in the top 20 warmest grand finals ever.

This year's forecast temperature falls well short of last year's clash between Collingwood and Brisbane, where temperatures hit 29.7 degrees at the MCG.

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