Overview

• Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles told the 1,400-strong crowd the federal government was giving its full and official support to Geelong for Grand Final day.
• Opposition Leader Sussan Ley traded jokes with Marles, compared an umpire’s popularity to Peter Dutton’s on election day and quipped that her Sydney Swans are taking a gap year in 2025.
• North Melbourne president Sonja Hood ribbed Anthony Albanese for choosing Balmoral over the MCG, describing the decision as un-Australian in a tongue-in-cheek swipe.
• AFL leaders Richard Goyder and Andrew Dillon attended alongside Geelong great Gary Ablett Jr, while Billy Brownless entertained and VIPs were playfully ‘sledged’ into the room.
• VIP hosting moved to the MCG’s Olympic Room, where Marles sat with Goyder and Dillon and premiers Jeremy Rockliff, Peter Malinauskas and David Crisafulli mingled with business and sporting figures.