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AFL grand final: Melbourne and Western Bulldogs to raise premiership cup at Forrest Place in Perth’s CBD

Peter LawThe West Australian
Basil Zempilas speaks on stage during the AFL Grand Final Breakfast at Crown Perth.
Camera IconBasil Zempilas speaks on stage during the AFL Grand Final Breakfast at Crown Perth. Credit: Matt Jelonek/Matt Jelonek/The West Australian

WA’s historic grand final week has been extended by an extra day, with the winners of Saturday’s historic AFL grand final set to present the premiership cup in Perth CBD on Sunday.

Speaking at the grand final breakfast at Crown, Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas announced the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs had agreed to take part in the event should they win.

It’ll take place at Forrest Place — dubbed “Footy Place” for grand final week — with footy fans invited to watch a replay of Saturday’s premiership decider on a giant screen from 9am.

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At the end of the replay, each member of the winning team will be welcomed on stage, followed by interviews with key players, captain and coach, and a team photograph.

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Traditionally, post-grand final celebrations are held at the training base of the winning club. In the Demons’ case, that would normally be the MCG, while the Bulldogs are based at Whitten Oval.

The 2021 Premiership cup.
Camera IconThe 2021 Premiership cup. Credit: Will Russell/via AFL Photos

For the Perth presentation, if the Demons win the players will take to the stage at 10.45am on Sunday, while if it’s a Bulldogs flag the club will appear at 11.20am.

“Whatever the outcome of the Toyota AFL Grand Final on Saturday, we’re extremely excited to host the 2021 AFL Premiers on Sunday,” Mr Zempilas said.

“The City of Perth is thrilled to host this important part of grand final week and I encourage everyone to come into the city on Sunday.”

Forrest Place will also be activated with team colours and retail booths, including pop up activities for visitors to enjoy in the lead up to the celebration event.

AFL chief excutive Gillon McLachlan on stage with Channel 7 presenter Basil Zempilas.
Camera IconAFL chief excutive Gillon McLachlan on stage with Channel 7 presenter Basil Zempilas. Credit: Danella Bevis/The West Australian

By late Tuesday, about 10,000 of the 25,000 tickets to Friday’s grand final eve open training session at Optus Stadium had been snapped up. The free tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

In a question and answer with Mr Zempilas, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan described Optus Stadium as an “epic coliseum” and the premiership decider as a 150-year event that WA “deserves”.

“Frankly, a huge silver lining of this is that we can have it here. The people are so passionate and I’ve been out of quarantine for six days and the energy, the feel, it’s been quite special,” he said.

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