Thursday September 26
A planned quiet day (the calm before the storm) is planned, but as usual not possible in this household. For several days we have been trying to get hold of the Grand Finalist T shirts, but after several attempts to one outlet who kept telling us "try tomorrow, try tomorrow" finally success. We also have a back up plan just in case he's giving us spin. So, everyone in the car, off for the 1.5 hour drive to Melbourne, cruising the streets, dropping Mrs Terminator to the shops to salvage tshirts and SUCCESS!!! Now for the trip back home. Its a horrible day. Wet, really windy, but our mission is complete. More phone calls, more messages, more media requests, its far from a dull week. Also have a rather outrageous outfit to collect for the big day. Photos later!!!
Friday September 27
Grand Final parade day. Up at 6.30 am, get the Terminate-ettes ready for Melb. Travel up on a train with another local Docker fan and meet up with our illustrious "Heather" Photographer extraordinaire!!! Purple EVERYWHERE! Melbourne has been invaded and its awesome. Meet some other fellow Dockers we know for the walk to the Old Treasury Building and get our place set for the parade. Meet some new fellow Freo fans and chat away, share experiences. Now to really intimidate the opposition. Start Freo chants in the street with the support of the Freo Faithful (many who I have no idea who they are) but the sound and noise we create is BLOODY AWESOME!!! My phone goes off from other Freo friends who couldn't find us "That would have to be you making all that racket wouldn't it". . . . guilty!
Amazing parade, Both teams blown away by the amount of support we have. Even Josh Gibson stuck his fingers in his ears in jest about the amount of noise we generated. Parade over, now for lunch and a sit down. A nice little park and grassed area in the shade. . was nice to take a breather, until a Protective Services Officer asked us if we could move because we were sitting in the Bali Bombing Memorial garden!!! Oops!! Apology accepted, no harm done, so we walk on to a nice little coffee shop for a brew. Cant do any harm here!!! Back to Federation square, absorb some more of the atmosphere, then head for home
Grand Final Day Saturday September 28
At last. . its here. . I'm pumped, the family are all awake early. We gather all our outrageous outfits ready to go. More phone calls, texts, messages and yet again more media requests!!! Our poor neighbours. My Sydney Swans supporter over the road has been really quiet and the Hawthorn supporters over the road, I feel for them! Our house has been decorated, streamers, balloons, posters etc, they've had it! They couldn't get tickets to the game, so they've fled the state! They've gone to Tassie (just in case we win, don't think they could handle it!) Their daughter however pops over in her Hawthorn gear and wishes us well and we get a group photo!
Off to Melbourne we go, destiny awaits. Got stopped by many about our outfits as well as several photographers and TV stations, kids are blown away by it all. We enter the venue to meet all our Freo Friends and get our seat. More photos, more excitement, more the party seems to get started. We're proud, we're passionate, we're purple and how much purple is in here???? FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC! The color, the Freo chant, its awesome!!! Pre match entertainment getting us fired up, game starts . . THE ROAR!!!, 1/4 time disappointed, not disheartened. Half time, still in it, trying to rally our troops, some with heads down "don't give up, don't give in. . . louder and prouder, drown their crowd out" 3rd quarter, sensing a remarkable comeback emerging, we get louder, the roar, my throat is killing me!!! 3/4 time still sense we're in it. Still trying to rally our troops with the same message "LOUDER AND PROUDER . . . DROWN THEM OUT" End of the match, its not to be, still proud of the teams effort and they should hold their heads high. against the odds, we got there, 16 other teams didn't. We stay back to support some of our disappointed fans and absorb the atmosphere. We even stay back for the supposed "fireworks" for the kids at 7.30pm. Still proud but the voice box is totally destroyed, going to be paying the price for this effort for a few days!! Now for the long trek home. At least our trip is not as long as some of our awesome fans have to endure.
Now to unwind and prepare for next year. . . Freo Dockers 2014. . Louder and PROUDER!!!!!