A sea of blue and white hit Geelong on Monday as the Geelong Cats held an open training session ahead of Saturday’s AFL grand final.
Thousands of fans filled the stadium on September 22, with people travelling from across the state for the special event.
Ruby Rees from Clifton Springs spent the day out with her younger cousins, Gracie and Freddie, who made the more than two-hour journey to the Cattery from Warrnambool.
“We’ve been supporting the Cats since we were born and we’re die-hard Cats fans,” Ms Rees said.
“I like how they kick really big,” Freddie said.
“I really like that they don’t stop even if they lose,” Gracie said.
Claire Dellaca and her daughter Hazel made their way from Ballarat to watch the open training session.
“My husband has supported them (the Cats) all his life and, since I’ve had my two kids, I’ve probably supported them for the past 13 or 14 years,” Ms Dellaca said.
“I love the players; and Jezza (Jeremy Cameron) and Ollie (Oliver Dempsey) are my favourites,” Hazel said.
With tickets sold out for this Saturday’s grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, many fans will be watching the game from home.
Hayley is one of the many young fans showing her love for the Geelong team with her family from the comfort of her home in Curlewis.
“I like how competitive the Cats are and sometimes they don’t really even care if they win or not as it’s just about having fun,” she said.
Some lucky fans also told the Independent that they were glad to have secured tickets to watch the Geelong Cats compete against the Brisbane Lions.
“We’ve been supporting the team forever, what feels like a lifetime,” Bacchus Marsh’s Ash Traianon said.
“It’s a really good family-oriented club who do a lot in the community and they are really good with kids,” Chris Cassar said.