Far from concerned about Melbourne’s spring heat on AFL grand final day, Collingwood defender Isaac Quaynor plans to make the most of the sunshine.
Popular theory suggests temperatures in the high 20s at the MCG on Saturday will favour the visiting Brisbane Lions.
But if the weather suits the Queensland side, then a crowd packed with the Magpie faithful is a clear swing in Collingwood’s favour.
It is set to be one of the warmest season deciders in history, although likely below the record 31.3C reached on a 2015 scorcher when Hawthorn beat West Coast for the flag.
The conditions influenced both team’s selections, with Brisbane coach Chris Fagan unwilling to risk Jack Payne’s fitness, coming off an ankle injury, in the heat.
Collingwood counterpart Craig McRae picked Jack Ginnivan in the starting line-up and plans to use Patrick Lipinski’s fresh legs late in the game.
The Magpies insist they are well prepared to handle the effects of the hot weather.
“We’ve put some extra time into our hydration throughout the week, so I don’t think it changes much,” in-form backman Quaynor said.
“And regardless, I love the heat personally.
“I’m going to maybe just do a little coating with a bit of Reef oil just to make myself a little bit slippery. We’ll see how we go.”
Quaynor is a likely match-up for Brisbane’s All-Australian goal-sneak Charlie Cameron, who said a forecast maximum of 29C will suit the Lions.
(Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )
“It’s kind of useful,” Cameron said.
“We train in this every day up there (in Brisbane) and even in pre-season it’s a lot hotter.
“We’re kind of used to it … it’s nothing new.”
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan claimed the “underdog” tag for the grand final but said training in warm weather most of the year would be “favourable” for the Lions.
It will be considerably warmer than the last time Brisbane and Collingwood met in grand finals, in 2002 and 2003, when maximum temperatures reached just 11.9C and 13.7C.
On both those days, Brisbane silenced a hostile crowd to claim the ultimate glory at the MCG.
“For us, it’s just backing ourselves in, just playing for each other when we’re out there,” Cameron said.
“I think we’ll be 23 blokes against probably 70-80,000 Collingwood supporters.”
But there is still reason to believe there’ll be plenty of pro-Brisbane noise at the MCG, after a hefty contingent of Lions fans turned up to their final run at the ground on Friday morning.
“I had to put the cones out and there was about 10,000 people there,” Fagan said.
“It was a great moment. They showed their appreciation for myself and the team and it was really uplifting for the boys.
“There’s a lot of Brisbane Lions supporters down here and there’s a lot of Fitzroy supporters that still live in Victoria, so I think they’ll be loud.”
Meanwhile, Lachie Neale wasted no time re-setting the agenda for his Brisbane Lions teammates after the stunning Brownlow Medal win that earned him a place among the AFL’s greats.
On Monday night, Neale upset pre-count favourites Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli to become a two-time winner of the game’s most prestigious individual honour.
But the 30-year-old ball-magnet immediately switched the Lions’ focus to Saturday’s grand final against Collingwood.
“The next day he addressed the group and said, ‘it’s not about me this week, boys, it’s about us’,” fellow Lions midfielder Josh Dunkley said.
“(He said), ‘why not have a crack at it, it’s the best opportunity for it’.
“He’s obviously had an outstanding year and we’re pumped for him that he’s got that award, but he wants to celebrate something as a group.
“That’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”
Neale is a three-time All-Australian, five-time club best-and-fairest and a winner of both the AFL coaches’ and players’ associations player-of-the-year awards.
But for all his individual accolades, the 245-game veteran is still without a premiership.
Neale’s only previous grand final appearance was as a substitute for Fremantle in their 2013 defeat to Hawthorn.
“Winning two Brownlow medals and being in the position that he’s in, he’s still never got ahead of himself,” Dunkley said.
“He’s always doing the hard yards and doing the little things behind the scenes that make him such a great player.
“He’s had a great year, he’s had a great career and he’s always stood up in those big games.
“We’re really looking forward to him playing his best footy tomorrow, and the rest of the group too.”
© AAP
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