Footy means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but for Sunrise co-host Melissa Doyle it’s the time of the week she can get away from her busy life to spend time with her family.
"The four of us hop into the car together and head out to the game," Doyle said.
"I’ve got a 12 year-old son and a 9 year-old daughter, and she has just as much fun as any of us. So for us, that’s what it’s all about."
And with her son a keen junior footballer, if they're not at a GIANTS game, the whole family is out supporting her son.
"All the families are there, everyone’s out there together and you just forget about everything else and you’re cheering and it’s fun.
"My daughter always finds a little posse of sisters who are on the sideline and they all hang out together.
"I think we’re all so busy, everyone’s working, and everyone’s got so much going on.
"For us on a weekend, sport is our chance to say ok, I’m not going to do the washing, I’m going to forget about the house chores, we’re all going to go and watch the kids play and we just switch off from everything else."
As the GIANTS’ number one ticketholder, Doyle has been a member of the club since its inception, and is passionate about helping the GIANTS grow the game in NSW.
"I think we’ve taken it for granted just how big AFL is in other states and I think NSW is where we can grow," Doyle said.
"We’ve had one team for so long – one magnificent team – I think there’s no doubt the Swans are just incredible men, let alone great players and they’re all really top blokes.
"I’m really glad I’ve got a son who looks upon his AFL idols and respects them and they’re really good role models so I’m really proud of that aspect as a mum.
"But I love that we’re growing the game and it’s just going to get bigger and bigger and we’re trying to infiltrate into areas that have traditionally followed other codes.
"Now we can bring AFL to them and I think that’s wonderful, it’s remarkable, it’s what we’re trying to do."
There is a fierce rivalry on the Sunrise set with all the presenters keen AFL fans.
Doyle’s co-host David Koch is the Port Adelaide Chariman, and both hosts’ competitive nature will come to the fore this Sunday when the GIANTS take on the Power at Skoda Stadium – with a bottle of red up for grabs for the winner.
"One of the things I really love is, Kochie is obviously with Port Adelaide and last year when we beat them out at Skoda - every single minute we’re on the field it’s full on war but the moment the game was over, he was the first person to congratulate us on that victory and really mean it."
