Lyon, Holmes and Cats flock to South West as stars relocate to WA for Optus Stadium grand final, Brownlow

The South West might have missed out on an AFL hub as clubs relocate to Western Australia for this year’s finals series, but eagle-eyed fans might still catch a glimpse of some of the game’s stars. In the week after their thumping preliminary final defeat to Melbourne at Optus Stadium, a number of Geelong players — including Mark Blicavs, Cam Guthrie, Jack Henry, and Jed Bews — have dodged Victoria’s strict lockdown conditions and elected to head south instead. The players relaxed in Dunsborough and Busselton after their finals exit and posed for a photo at local businesses Margaret River Roasting Co and the Good Egg cafe in Busselton. They are just a few of the big footy names who have flocked to the region as Western Australia becomes the temporary epicentre of the football world ahead of Saturday’s grand final between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. It will be just the second time the premiership decider has been played outside of Victoria and is set to be the biggest sporting event hosted at Optus Stadium in its short history. Demons legend and Victorian media personality Garry Lyon also spent time in the State’s south, making an appearance at an event organised by SEN, the radio station he works for in Melbourne. The five-time All-Australian was seen alongside South West Academy of Sport chief executive Bernice Butlion at the event, which was held at the Dolphin Discovery Centre. Should the Demons win on Saturday, breaking the league’s longest premiership drought, Lyon will be entrusted with presenting the cup to coach Simon Goodwin and captain Max Gawn. Channel 7 commentator and Adelaide Crows AFLW premiership player Abbey Holmes also visited the centre, and was snapped with chief executive and Bunbury mayoral candidate David Kerr, as part of a partnership with Tourism WA. The glamour continued on Sunday night when Perth hosted the prestigious Brownlow Medal for the first time, which could lead to more big names hitting the road and coming south after the Dockers and Eagles were joined by players from Queensland and South Australia, including the winner, Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines.