Melbourne is at a standstill. Poised, waiting for Saturday afternoon when the AFL Grand Final will be decided.
Tomorrow is irrelevant except if you are planning a gathering of friends to watch the game. As an avid AFL fan (Go Bombers) I am more interested in actually watching the game. So if you've been lured by the title you will possibly be disappointed. However, here are some ideas to mark the day.
1. Arrival: Face Paint
Invite your guests to show their true colours by donning face paint ahead of the game.
2. Lucky Door Prize
Hand out raffle tickets and draw winners at half time. Prize ideas include chocolate footballs, umpires whistle, footy garb, badges, posters etc...
3. Food
- The usual MCG cuisine: meat pies, cold drinks, hot jam donuts, coffee
- Team coloured food
- White jellybeans or white witchetty grubs' - white maggots' (affectionate term for umpires)
- Cake in team colours
- Jelly cups in team colours
4. Clothes
- Provide raincoats and make space behind the seating for those for whom footy is not right without standing room in the outer.
- Eye patches for one-eyed supporters
- Whiskers for Cats supporters, feathers for Magpies.
5. Music
Obviously the team songs, but also Advance Australia Fair and footy songs by Mike Brady of 'Up there Cazaly' fame.
Ok, ok, so you'd like a few games to warm up before the game. What about these for starters:
Chose either M&Ms, Smarties, Jellybeans or similar. Guests race the clock to fish team coloured lollies from a central bowl. The person with the most lollies of the right colours in their cup after a minute wins.
8. Play 'Malthouse says', or 'Scott says' (aka Simon says)
9. Footy Piñata - a great half-time occupation.
Divide guests into teams. Use either an actual ladder, or make one from cardboard and fix it to the wall. Provide each team cards on which each AFL team is written. Race the clock. Team members take turns to pick up a card and place it on the ladder in the order which the teams finished this year.
