Grand Final Celebration at the G

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

16 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

Yep! Got lucky through a mate with connections and my daughter was able to present one of the medals.

The club managed it amazingly too. She scored a premiership jumper, premiership hat and they're sending us professional photos too.

Which player?

[Supreme_Demon 3,044]

Had a great time yesterday. Fantastic to see so many Melbourne Demons supporters!

 

We didn't have to worry about winning or losing. It was just a big party!

It was a bit of a joke and a laugh when I said to one fellow Demons supporter while waiting in line to get a coffee at the start of the 3rd quarter that things looked grim....do you think we will come back from here? 😂

Saw David Neitz and gave him the thumbs up! 👍 He's still a great bloke! Gotta love big Neita!

My face got a little sunburnt even though I was wearing a hat. A bit of a mystery how that happened?!

Took the train in with my Dad. Sadly we got there too late to get a photo with the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup. It had just left the Premiership Cups display when we arrived there. My Dad is 72 and has health issues so I can't really rush him to do things.

Hopefully, I can arrange with the Club for another time to get a photo with my Dad and I holding the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Supreme_Demon

[Olgreybeard49 239]

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Same 😑 I had a (Premiers!) cap on all day so my face was spared. But I have badly sunburnt arms. I forgot that it’s been a while since the pasty whites have seen the sun. (Cheers for that, La Niña!)

Sitting in the open so have joined the raspberry faced squad. Just need a few bruises and it'll match my red and blue polo.

[old dee 23,094]

20 hours ago, Bates Mate said:

Mcg really put on bare minimum for the catering stands , lines where a joke

I was on level 2 just walked up and got whatever I wanted.

[Demonland 66,671]

1 minute ago, old dee said:

I was on level 2 just walked up and got whatever I wanted.

I was on the ground level and didn't have any issues either. I imagine that the food and beverage outlets would have been busier during the breaks.

[Fork 'em 6,607]

29 minutes ago, old dee said:

I was on level 2 just walked up and got whatever I wanted.

Good ol' footy junk food.
Loved it.
 

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

1 hour ago, TRIGON said:

Daddy Jake went "Aunty Jack".

Similar moustaches.  

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

1 hour ago, Lord Nev said:

Yep! Got lucky through a mate with connections and my daughter was able to present one of the medals.

The club managed it amazingly too. She scored a premiership jumper, premiership hat and they're sending us professional photos too.

Like you needed another reason to love our Club, right? What a great experience for your daughter. 

[Guest]

Thank you for the description of the day.

In some ways, it's been quite bittersweet for me.

We were absolutely abominable during the 5 years I was back in Australia (2010 to 2015).

If not for COVID, I would have definitely taken time off to fly home to watch the game in Australia (even if I hadn't secured tickets yet). I would have been a monty to go to the after GF celebrations.

Even watching the pre match entertainment, I got a bit welled up when they sang 'Great Southern Land' as it was a reminder of not being able to spend time with friends and loved ones in Australia for such a long time. I haven't been home in 5 years (and depending on Omicron and the current cost of flights, it might be even longer).

However, this has been a great finish to what has been a fairly average year. Now for the B&F, Christmas (we've ordered our KFC as per the Japan tradition) and onwards and upwards to back to back next year!

 

[old dee 23,094]

38 minutes ago, Fork 'em said:

Good ol' footy junk food.
Loved it.
 

I am not into pies so I had hot dog and a beer. 

[Satan 2,786]

1 hour ago, Supreme_Demon said:

Had a great time yesterday. Fantastic to see so many Melbourne Demons supporters!

 

We didn't have to worry about winning or losing. It was just a big party!

It was a bit of a joke and a laugh when I said to one fellow Demons supporter while waiting in line to get a coffee at the start of the 3rd quarter that things looked grim....do you think we will come back from here? 😂

Saw David Neitz and gave him the thumbs up! 👍 He's still a great bloke! Gotta love big Neita!

My face got a little sunburnt even though I was wearing a hat. A bit of a mystery how that happened?!

Took the train in with my Dad. Sadly we got there too late to get a photo with the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup. It had just left the Premiership Cups display when we arrived there. My Dad is 72 and has health issues so I can't really rush him to do things.

Hopefully, I can arrange with the Club for another time to get a photo with my Dad and I holding the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup.

 

The cup will be back 18/19/20  dec at the sports museum 

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

29 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Christmas (we've ordered our KFC as per the Japan tradition)

 

This goes back to the 14th or 15th century, right? 😁

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

3 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

The little one was taking forever to get down the steps so Jake hoisted her

… my apologies (especially to Jake’s SON).
😬

 

[DemonOX 8,551]

2 hours ago, Lord Nev said:

Yep! Got lucky through a mate with connections and my daughter was able to present one of the medals.

The club managed it amazingly too. She scored a premiership jumper, premiership hat and they're sending us professional photos too.

That’s bloody fantastic LN.

It makes it even more special when your family are involved and the club goes the extra mile. 

Awesome mate and I hope ur daughter loved it. 

[Wrecker46 2,733]

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

I was on the ground level and didn't have any issues either. I imagine that the food and beverage outlets would have been busier during the breaks.

I was on ground level and had to wait a while but it was during the 2nd quater so I didn't mind and neither did anyone else.

[Katrina Dee Fan 2,483]

What a day!! If there was ever an event to make you feel proud to be a member of the Melbourne Football Club, yesterday was it!

 

My day started off picking up my nephews at about 8.30 and we made our way to the station. We got to the MCG see a sea of red and blue spectators milling around, queuing up to see the 13 premiership cups, and we made our way to the ice cream van. We found our seats in the MCC members reserve and the match replay started on the big screen. During the course of the morning we got to see some of the honour boards and photos of the MCC and the affiliated sports, including two sections dedicated to the Melbourne Football Club. All the proof I needed that while three other teams call the MCG home, the true home team is in fact the Dees, and has been since 1858. (Sorry, Richmond, Collingwood and Hawthorn!)

 

It was treated like any other match. We cheered the goals, we argued with dodgy decisions (I still reckon that should have been a goal to Max Gawn and how that high tackle on Kozzie Picket wasn’t paid is beyond me). Quarter time saw Andrew Leoncelli and Guy Rigoni compete in the super kick competition, half time saw Robbo Live - Russell Robertson and his band playing Aussie hits, and 3 quarter time gave us a chance to farewell Neville Jetta and Nathan Jones.

 

Then it was time for members of the Demon Army and the Ruby Demons to form the guard of honour on the ground for the players to run out. Standing on that turf while 40,000 people are in the stands is one of the most surreal experiences. The players came out, followed by the players who didn’t get to play, coaches, staff and some board members, and some, like us, had tears in their eyes. Garry Lyon looked like he was completely awash with emotion.

 

We made our way back to our seats after navigating the rabbit warren of the underbelly of the MCG, in time to see the players awarded their medals (we missed the Norm Smith presentation to Petracca while trying to get back up to our seats). There was not a dry eye in the stadium when Neale Daniher presented Simon Goodwin with the Jock McHale medal, and then we hear it, the speech Basil robbed Goody of delivering on GF night. And he delivered it so absolutely beautifully. The cup made its way down a long line of past players, And with Ron Barassi unable to come to present it, it was instead presented by David Neitz. As I predicted!

 

The after party at the London Tavern was next. And that was a massive party. The cup made its appearance, and we all had our turn with it, but we had a few gatecrashers in the form of past players. I managed to get photos with Brian Stynes, Rod Grinter, David Neitz, club president Kate Roffey, Steven Febey, and while I didn’t get a photo with him, had a good chat with Paul Hopgood.

 

By 6.00 I found myself ready to leave. As I went outside i noticed small group outside, and I exclaimed “so nice to be somehere quiet!” Conversation was struck, they then mentioned they were about to go to the East End Bar. “Ah, Gawny’s bar in Hawthorn,” I said. They asked me if I’d like to come along, and I said I’d love to, but I should go home, as I had to get my car from my sister’s. It was then revealed to me who they were - Tom McDonald’s dad, Max Gawn’s mum, and Clayton Oliver’s mum. It was perhaps one of my favourite conversations I’d had in the course of the day.

 

Exhausting day, but all in all, epic.  I'm so proud of this club, and that I'm a member of it.  Go Dees!!

Edited December 6, 2021 by Katrina Dee Fan

[daisycutter 28,709]

1 hour ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

 

We were absolutely abominable during the 5 years I was back in Australia (2010 to 2015).

I

don't take this the wrong way, colin, but could you please delay your return to oz until 2026 so we can get our fivepeat completed.

😈🏆👌😁

[Guest]

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

This goes back to the 14th or 15th century, right? 😁

Alas, Perry only reopened the country after 200 years of Sakoku (era of isolation) in 1853. I believe prior to that Christians had been expelled from the country or if they were here by some way, they were living on the island of Deshima in Nagasaki prefecture.  😁 😉

The KFC for Christmas thing, I believe, started sometime in the '60's (?) when some US military types wanted to make an authentic Christmas dinner. With globalization not having kicked off entirely and the country still rebuilding after WW2, the nearest equivalent they could find was the dirty bird. For some reason, it caught on with the mainstream populace and fried chicken has been what you eat for Christmas dinner ever since.

Also to clarify, I've just discovered we are getting our fried chicken from a local joint in the country town I live in. You actually have to reserve it a good one month in advance from KFC to have any chance of picking up your 24 piece bucket. We were a bit late in getting in the queue.

[DubDee 21,506]

3 hours ago, Demonland said:

I was on the ground level and didn't have any issues either. I imagine that the food and beverage outlets would have been busier during the breaks.

wish I was in your section. I lined up twice (not during the breaks) and it took over 30 mins each time.  at the end of half time they ran out of beer, which is remarkable when they knew exactly how many would attend and not too many were drinking a lot. had to hit the spirits

[old dee 23,094]

2 minutes ago, DubDee said:

wish I was in your section. I lined up twice (not during the breaks) and it took over 30 mins each time.  at the end of half time they ran out of beer, which is remarkable when they knew exactly how many would attend and not too many were drinking a lot. had to hit the spirits

A few years ago I was at marvel and they opened one the dinning / take away rooms and first could not get the beer to run, then had no change in the till. The mate I was with said you have to be poor if you cannot work out how to  sell beer in Australia

[Grimes Times 1,278]

4 minutes ago, DubDee said:

wish I was in your section. I lined up twice (not during the breaks) and it took over 30 mins each time.  at the end of half time they ran out of beer, which is remarkable when they knew exactly how many would attend and not too many were drinking a lot. had to hit the spirits

The barman in the Blazer told me that the taps where not turned on at the start of the day so to try and use all the old stock up. When that was low or gone the MCC then turned the taps on.

[DubDee 21,506]

2 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

… my apologies (especially to Jake’s SON).
😬

 

cant figure out why they take their babies and toddlers up to get the medals. very weird.  not like they'll remember it

[WalkingCivilWar 34,015]

58 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Alas, Perry only reopened the country after 200 years of Sakoku (era of isolation) in 1853. I believe prior to that Christians had been expelled from the country or if they were here by some way, they were living on the island of Deshima in Nagasaki prefecture.  😁 😉

The KFC for Christmas thing, I believe, started sometime in the '60's (?) when some US military types wanted to make an authentic Christmas dinner. With globalization not having kicked off entirely and the country still rebuilding after WW2, the nearest equivalent they could find was the dirty bird. For some reason, it caught on with the mainstream populace and fried chicken has been what you eat for Christmas dinner ever since.

Also to clarify, I've just discovered we are getting our fried chicken from a local joint in the country town I live in. You actually have to reserve it a good one month in advance from KFC to have any chance of picking up your 24 piece bucket. We were a bit late in getting in the queue.

Having to book KFC a month in advance?! The horror… THE HORROR!

 I actually thought you were JK about the KFC (or chicken in general) being traditional xmas fare in Japan. Very interesting. 👍🏽

[Bitter but optimistic 21,560]

4 hours ago, old dee said:

I am not into pies so I had hot dog and a beer. 

Pleased to see you're looking after yourself od !!

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Pleased to see you're looking after yourself od !!

You didn't take your shirt off again did you, Uncle Bitters?

I remember back in the day that you did so after a win over the Dogs (although that may be me struggling with my recollections as I enter middle age).