Images via Lorraine Stokes and Milo Lee
The AFL have officially announced the Australian acts set to feature in the 2022 Grand Final entertainment, with plenty of home grown talent set to mark the return of the decider to the MCG for the first time since 2019.
While international superstar Robbie Williams will headline the entertainment on grand final day, he will be joined by a host of Australian talent.
The league has slowly revealed the acts over the last five days, with G Flip and Mike Brady the first to get the nod. Aussie indie rockers 'The Temper Trap' are also set to return to the MCG a decade on from their last performance on the big day, with homegrown acts Budjerah and Ngaiire also performing alongside the ARIA Award-winning band on what promises to be an incredible afternoon of music.
Australian rock-band Goanna will take the stage alongside First Nations artists Christine Anu, Emma Donovan, Tasman Keith and William Barton as part of a super group, with Katie Noonan also joining the line-up.
The AFL expects 100,000 fans to grace the home of football at the 2022 Grand Final in a return to relative normality after Optus Stadium poached the rights in 2021.
Brady returns as a fan favourite and is set to again perform 'Up There Cazaly' as part of a long-standing footy tradition that dates back 42 years.
"I'm excited to be invited back to sing at this year's Toyota AFL Grand Final," Brady said in a league announcement.
"I'm expecting the crowd to be really 'G'd' up after having been starved of two grand finals in Melbourne.
"I can't wait to see and hear their reaction to the game and the Telstra Pre-Match Entertainment"
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said the grand final entertainment was shaping up to be a great spectacle.
“This year’s Telstra Pre-Match and Half-Time Entertainment is shaping up to be one of the greatest Grand Final music spectacles of all time,” Ms Rogers said.
“We know how brilliant our Australian music talent is, so we’re delighted to welcome Goanna, Christine, Emma, Tasman, Will and a host of home-grown stars to the MCG as we celebrate the end of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season and award this year’s premiers.
“I’d like to thank Telstra for its support of this year’s entertainment and look forward to seeing the return of 100,000 fans at the MCG on the last Saturday in September for this much-loved occasion.”