The Fremantle Dockers will make a grand final appearance for the first time since joining the AFL league 19 years ago, going head-to-head with Hawthorne in an historic showdown.
Writer Les Everett says it’s a moment some fans of the Western Australian club thought they would never see.
“There was this nagging feeling that… for some of us, it might not be in our life time,” he told the ABC.
But with the big game being held in Melbourne, it could be a marathon effort for home-grown fans who want to see their team take the final in the flesh.
Travel difficulties, bad weather predictions and a scalping crack-down are some of the many issues Fremantle fans face.
Despite Virgin Australia, AFL’s official airline, putting on 5500 extra seats and saying they'll do “everything possible to help Fremantle fans” journey from the Dockers' home city of Perth to Melbourne, plane ticket prices as high as $1000 have reportedly forced some fans to sell their grand final seats.
Some refuse to be stopped.
Devotees will be taking planes, charters, trains and automobiles, with some even going via Bali or Singapore to Melbourne, the ABC reports.
Rob Gherardi, a passionate Fremantle supporter, reportedly began looking up prices of commercial flights when his team beat Geelong. The price forced him to look at another option.
"I had heard about another group doing a similar thing, with chartering a plane, so I thought I'd see if there was any interest from fellow supporters.
"We've managed to charter Fokker 100 plane which can carry 98 passengers,” Mr Gherardi told WAtoday.
Mr Gherardi’s travel hurdle may be sorted but he is not guaranteed a ticket. Police have also declared a crackdown on scalpers, with fines of more than $8500 for those who are caught, reports WAtoday.
AFL deputy CEO Gillon McLachlan says tens of thousands of interstate fans are expected to come to Melbourne.
According to The Australian, fans who missed out on a ticket will be invited into the Melbourne Cricket Ground after the match to watch the medal presentation and celebrations.
Meanwhile thousands of Docker fans left in Perth made their way to Fremantle Oval to cheer on their AFL heroes at training this week.
In Perth, pubs such as The Sail and Anchor pub will begin serving food and alcohol as early as 8am.
MULTI-LINGUAL COMMENTARY
It's expected millions will tune in to this year’s AFL grand final but 2013 will offer commentary with a difference.
For the first time, the match will be called in ten different languages, with many first-time commentators calling the game.
Rich Kerbatieh who is of Lebanese heritage will commentate the grand final in Arabic. He says while the experience is "frightening" he's also very excited.
“It's the best game in the world," he told SBS reporter Luke Waters. "We can, and everyone else can get along together 'cause that's what it all means."
