Tens of thousands of dedicated Brisbane Lions and Geelong Cats fans braved the intermittent rain as they lined the streets of Melbourne on Friday on the eve of one of the biggest showdowns on the nation's sporting calendar.
Friendly banter rang out from fans as premiership players rode past on the back of utes, with the city was flooded with blue and white stripes and blue, gold and maroon gear.
For Geelong wingman Ollie Dempsey, who participated in the parade in 2024 as the AFL's rising star, the experience this year couldn't be more stark.
"It was pretty flattening ... I got a lot of people talking smack last year ... It was still pretty fun but much better this year," he told reporters.
"They were letting me know that I was on holidays (last year) ... It was like an hour of people telling me I'm on holidays."
Lions midfielder Josh Dunkley is sitting next to one of the game's biggest names Lachie Neale after he revealed the star asked to sit next to him.
"I'll support anyone, mate, whoever wants me. I'll support them all, as long as we get out there and get the job done," he said.
The last time Cats utility Mark Blicavs participated in the parade, he was in a barge sitting next to best mate Jack Henry and floating along the Yarra River.
It was the also same year the team last won the premiership.
So was it a superstitious thing when he decided to sit next to Henry again this time?
"Nah. We got a cool photo taken of us (in 2022) so I thought we try to do it again," he said.
The traditional annual Grand Final parade, which has been held since 1977, took the players from Melbourne Park to Birrarung Marr, over the William Barak Bridge and into the MCG Yarra Park Precinct and finishing up at the MCG.
It will pay homage to the broader football community with AFLW and AFL Open players also joining the motorcade.
A late morning start of 10.30am meant participants and spectators missed the worst of the weather on Friday, with showers and potential thunderstorms tipped for the afternoon.
Free tram travel has been extended to the MCG, with authorities adding extra services along with an additional 47 trains to take people to the parade, while Virgin has added an extra five flights from Brisbane.
Brisbane and Geelong met three weeks ago in a qualifying final at the MCG when the Cats emerged 38-point victors.
However, the Lions beat Geelong twice in the home-and-away season, by nine points at the Gabba in their third match of the campaign, and in a 41-point boilover at Kardinia Park in round 16.
After their setback, the Lions navigated their way through the finals by beating a surging Gold Coast side and Collingwood in last weekend's preliminary final.
Geelong did it easier, taking a week off and beating Hawthorn in front of 99,000 in their prelim.
Saturday's grand final will be the first time in the league's 138-year history the sides meet in the final game of the season.
12°C