View
comments
The AFL Grand Final crowd should give Victorians a standing ovation as a show of support after the state has endured two of toughest years in memory, Perth's mayor said.
Basil Zempalis - a familiar face to AFL fans thanks to his role as presenter - was elected the WA capital's leader in 2020 and petitioned for the moment on Friday's mornings Triple M breakfast show.
'The empathy towards Victorians this week has been really good and maybe we could create a magic, iconic moment on Saturday during the game,' the 50-year-old said.
WA premier Mark McGowan (pictured) speaking at the Optus Stadium ahead of the AFL Grand Final in Perth on Saturday
Melbourne has been in lockdown longer than any other city on the planet (pictured: Melburnians in August)
The idea was floated to him by former Fremantle Docker Paul Haselby, who said West Australians would be keen to to do something as a sign of respect for Melburnians who'll miss out on their biggest sporting event for the second year.
'I thought that's not a bad idea what about a standing ovation for our friends in Victoria at a certain point in the game just to simply say thank you we're thinking of you,' Zempalis said.
'If 60,000 people at the Grand Final suddenly stood up and applauded Victorians that would be pretty special.'
Melburnians have been doing it tough with the Victorian capital locked down longer than any other city in the world.
