Loyal Dockers off the MCG

A strong band of loyal local Fremantle supporters have secured grand final tickets after a mad rush earlier this week to snap up an MCG seat for their club’s maiden grand final appearance.

While some were quickly packing their bags yesterday and confirming travel arrangements, others were forced to cancel their flights after being unsuccessful in the grand final ballot.

Local member Brett Turpin avoided the mad rush for tickets by booking his grand final flights and accommodation two days after the Dockers defeated Geelong to secure the home preliminary final over two weeks ago.

Mr Turpin was one of 7129 priority one members who were guaranteed tickets after the Dockers’ preliminary final triumph on Saturday night.

He left with his family for Melbourne on Tuesday keen to see history created and believed upgrading their membership package three years ago was worth the money.

“I know of quite a few Albany people who are going and I expect to see a lot more once we are there,” he said.

“I had an inkling last year that we weren’t far off the mark.”

Lucky Albany fan Paul Gilbert was one of more than 11,000 priority two members who snapped up two of the remaining 6871 tickets left in the members ballot on Monday morning.

Mr Gilbert, who has been a member since 1998, began the long drive across the Nullarbor yesterday with his brother Luke.

“Hopefully we get there Thursday afternoon (today) and we plan on going to the parade on Friday,” he said.

Albany fans who can’t get to the MCG this Saturday are still getting behind their team.

Fanatical Dockers supporter David Kerr is one of them, and he has gone to the extreme of cutting his hair into a purple mohawk for the week in a show of support for his team.