Simon Simoudis: AFL 2025 Grand Final: The Excitement, the Atmosphere, the Anticipation

Finally comes the time for which almost all of Australia has been holding its breath patiently. Geelong Cats vs Brisbane's grand final commences at 2.30 pm AEST on Saturday, September 27. For the first time in AFL history, these two teams will clash with each other in the finals, but neither team is an unknown quantity to either team or to playing in the finals.

Yesterday, the Grand Final Eve, was a public holiday for us Victorians. Just think of the level of excitement about the finals in Victoria. Even the government knows it, too. TV viewership is also the biggest amongst the Victorians. Victorians are the craziest AFL followers.

I, Simon Simoudis, arrived in Melbourne the night before to view the match first-hand in the MCG. I am writing now because I am just about to go out to the stadium. I had finished all my work well in advance and had not committed to extra work just because I wanted to indulge in the excitement and passion within the stadium without having something come in the way of my going full throttle into the madness.

The atmosphere in the stadium is always lively and festive, more so on the finals. They go there as groups, waving flags and banners, and with beers in cans; such is the Aussie way to celebrate the AFL, one of the biggest sporting tournaments. Even before the game starts, the crowd is singing their club's songs. There are chants all over the stadium, and at times it gets almost deafening. But everybody does not complain about the noise and the commotion, at least during this event. This is what they had come here for. The game typically lasts around 2.5 hours, including breaks.

There will also be singing from Tash Sultana and Snoop Dogg, accompanied by Snoop's guitar band. There will also be a choir involving Emma Donovan and others. There will also be singing of the national anthem with Vera Blue. There is also a rumor going around that Snoop Dogg has been paid AU$2 million - AU$5 million to sing today, and it is a fair amount to sing for 20 minutes.

This weekend's encounter will go the full distance. Two of the greatest clubs in AFL history are set to face off against each other. The Brisbane Lions participated in the finals for four seasons from 2001 to 2004, and their premiership triumphs were during all those years except in 2004.
Similarly, the Geelong Cats also have a successful past in the AFL. Coincidentally, except for Melbourne's team, they are the oldest team in the AFL. Their team was founded in 1859, so they were one of the oldest in the world, not just in Australia. Geelong Cats last defeated the finals in 2022, and that is also very recent. They had their finals in 2011, 2020, and 2022. They were defeated in the final in 2020.

As per their history, I, Simon Simoudis, am certainly awaiting what lies in store for me today. I am surely going to describe what happened in the stadium today, minute by minute. For the moment, I, Simon Simoudis, shall say goodbye, as I am stepping out of my hotel on my way to the MCG.

Location: Australia

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