Collingwood fans across Melbourne and the nation are celebrating their nail-biting four-point win over the Brisbane Lions in the AFL grand final.
At the Collingwood Football Club’s live viewing site at Olympic Park Oval in Melbourne, fans hugged, screamed and cried.
One man said he didn’t think the celebrations would be finishing any time soon.
“We waited too long for this — what a feeling,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m going to be coming home tonight.”
A small boy on his shoulders said “go the Pies!”
Tears and tattoos at Magpies home base
Through tears, a life-long Collingwood fan said the win meant “absolutely everything” to him.
“We got there in the end, in Collingwood style — McCrae style,” he said, referring to Collingwood’s coach Craig McCrae.
“This is incredible, I can’t believe we’ve won.”
A woman praised Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill as a “legend” and described Scott Pendlebury’s goal as “magic”.
“This is the best day of my entire life, it doesn’t feel real,” she said.
“I feel alive three hours a week. When footy’s on, I can feel the blood rushing through my veins.”
Another fan showed off her tattoo, which said “Flagpies 2023”.
“My tattoo paid off!” she said.
‘They did their best’: Brisbane fans commiserate
At a pub in Southbank in Brisbane, the mood was understandably sombre.
One woman described watching the final minutes of the game as “heart-stopping”.
“They did their best, that’s all we can ask,” she said.
She said she hoped the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans would have better luck in tomorrow’s NRL and NRLW deciders.
A man decked out in Lions gear said the Lions had “not lost any fans”.
“We would have been very lucky to win it,” he said.
“Ah well, next year again — Collingwood are gonna be tough though, they’re gonna get a lot of confidence out of this.
“It was a great game, best final we’ve seen in a long while.”
One of the few Collingwood fans at the Brisbane venue said he had been barracking for the Pies for 45 years.
“The downside is I now have to come through with the family pledge of getting a tattoo,” he said.
He said he intended to follow through with the promise and get a tattoo of the Collingwood logo.
“My wife and daughter are both mad Lions supporters, and my son and I are both mad Magpies supporters, so makes for an interesting household sometimes.”
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
