By Callum Twomey
THERE is a possibility Melbourne's inclement weather could force the cancellation of the League's revamped Grand Final entertainment, including a concert by headline act The Temper Trap.
The bureau of meteorology predicts Saturday will have a top of 14 degrees, with showers throughout the day. While the entertainment would continue through rain, extreme conditions would see contingency plans introduced.
Although hopeful, AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan said there was a chance the weather could dent plans.
Click here to view the photos from the GIANTS Grand Final Lunch
"We would obviously love it to be sunny and 26 degrees. We're monitoring the forecast every couple of hours. It changes a little bit, but I think I've heard the word hail mentioned once or twice. It will be what it will be," McLachlan told AFL.com.au.
"In the end, if it's too wet to have the concert hopefully people will understand.
"We're very optimistic … we've got a great day of activity lined up and we're confident everything will push ahead."
Legendary Australian artist Paul Kelly is poised to perform before the game, and in a new move, The Temper Trap will take to the stage at half-time.
A live concert featuring Kelly and The Temper Trap at the MCG is set to follow the game in post-match proceedings.
Meanwhile, after the success of last week's twilight preliminary final there has been speculation the AFL could shift the Grand Final to the 5.15pm timeslot.
McLachlan said it would be something the AFL discussed later in the year.
"Generally I like the twilight slot. It amuses me that when we played it for the prelim final last week, a lot of people were negative about the timeslot without any real reason, just because people don't like change," McLachlan said.
"I have always liked the slot but I don’t think that's any precursor to the Grand Final one way or the other. We'll have a look at it as we do every year, next year."
Ahead of the Grand Final, McLachlan joined sports minister Hugh Delahunty and Victoria Police superintendent Rod Wilson in urging fans to avoid scalping tickets.
"We're monitoring all websites and working with the state government and Victoria police on this issue," he said.
