MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

CLUB NEWS
September was a bumper month at
the MCG, with seven AFL fi nals in
23 days accommodating more than
half a million fans who witnessed some
fabulous football. The Grand Final saw a
return to “the good old days”, with an all-
Victorian contest to decide the
premiership between the season’s two best
teams, Hawthorn and Geelong.
The public and members voted with
their feet. The grand fi nal attendance of
100,012 was the highest since 1986 and
the fi rst event to break through the
six-fi gure barrier since the new grandstand
12 MCC NEWS DECEMBER 2008
GRAND FINAL DAY LI
Perfect weather, a massive crowd and a gripping contest
was completed three years ago. It was also
the highest Members Reserve attendance
in more than a decade of grand fi nals.
Such was the popularity and
anticipation of the contest between the
all-conquering Cats and emerging Hawks,
more than 7500 MCC members queued
patiently outside Gate 2 from early
morning. After the gates were thrown
open at 8am, the fi rst three levels of the
Reserve were fi lled before the fi rst egg had
been scrambled in the nearby Hugh
Trumble Café.
Soon, the bars and dining rooms were
working at capacity, both inside and
outside the Reserve. Early on, the Long
Room was the place to be for many, either
to relax on the famous couches or share a
beer with old friends.
With the immaculate arena bathed in
bright sunshine, the atmosphere built
steadily. Car park barbecues were
gathering momentum as fans started to
arrive in numbers to savour the unique
experience of a grand fi nal at the ’G.
There were two high-quality under-16
curtain-raisers before world-renowned
Aussie rock group Powderfi nger took