AFL Grand Final: Interstate Fans Flock to Melbourne

Interstate footy fans are descending on Melbourne for this weekend's AFL grand final, and two pubs have become unofficial embassies for travelling Fremantle and Brisbane fans.

This weekend marks the fifth time two non-Victorian teams have competed in an AFL grand final, and interstate fans are already streaming into the city.

A Home Away from Home for Fremantle Supporters

An unassuming pub in Melbourne's inner north, the Great Northern Hotel in Carlton North, is gearing up to be a home away from home for Fremantle supporters. Alistair Carragher, the pub's owner, bought the hotel in 2009. The Perth expat said the pub was historically a home for Fremantle and West Coast supporters who moved to Melbourne.

"They'd go play a game of football at the park and then come to the pub after that," he said. "West Australians in general were a bit neglected in sport and pubs."

Mr. Carragher said since 2013, when Fremantle played its first grand final, the popularity of the hotel for local Dockers fans has exploded.

"It's great to have somewhere to go, especially being the smaller group in Melbourne, there's not always a place that you can find people,"

Fremantle cheer squad member Jess Ritchie said. Dockers fan Nacha Kirilak added that it was "nice to have a safe ground to come to with like-minded people who aren't going to yell at you because you're wearing a different colour".

A Different Story for the Lions

Meanwhile, just a few kilometres to the east, Lions fans have made the Royal Derby Hotel on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy their home. The suburb is the spiritual home of the Lions, after the Victorian football club amalgamated with the Brisbane Bears 30 years ago, to form the Brisbane Lions.

"It's nostalgic, I actually feel proud to be part of a family, because that's what the Brisbane Lions is,"

Scott Villiers, a self-described Lions nuffy, said. "The club does an amazing job to preserve the history of both Fitzroy and the Bears."

Mr. Villiers acknowledged that a new generation of Brisbane fans have emerged since the amalgamation.

"I hope they feel welcome down here, we're an extended family by default," he said.

Economic Boost for Victoria

Both pubs have been completely booked out for months, with staff expecting hundreds more walk-ins across the long weekend. RMIT University finance professor Angel Zhong said the grand final weekend could generate up to $75 million in economic activity for the state.

"When interstate fans fly in, stay in hotels and eat in our restaurants, that is genuinely new money entering Victoria," she said.

Melbourne Airport said more than 114,000 passengers are expected to travel through its terminals on Saturday. Fans flying from Perth and Brisbane have faced surging flight fares, with return airfares reaching $6,000 ahead of Saturday's game.