It might not have been Fremantle's Wharfie Time or Port Adelaide's Never Tear us Apart but Collingwood's music and late runout has the potential to be a significant point-of-difference for the club.
For the first time on Thursday night, Collingwood and Geelong ran out just minutes before the start of the game, with warm ups and the coin toss taking place well prior.
There was a light show and music to greet the players as they graced the MCG and ran straight to their starting positions.
The move resulted in the first ever indoor coin toss with Tom Stewart winning it and not knowing which way to point as he chose to kick to the Punt Road end.
celebrates a goal during the AFL Qualifying Final match between Adelaide Crows and Collingwood Magpies at Adelaide Oval on September 04, 2025 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Pies chief executive Craig Kelly spoke on 3AW pre-game about the importance of innovation and wanting to take fans on the journey, but it was a strange feel and seemed to take away some of the important momentum in the lead up to the game.
Heads will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs was Collingwood's run out song which they chose, while Geelong ran out to Zombie Nation's Kerncraft 400.
It undoubtedly interrupted the usual flow of arriving at the footy to hear their team's theme song as they run through the banner, with excitement slowly climaxing before the first ball-up.
It did not yield the desired result for Collingwood, with Geelong firing out of the blocks as the quicker team more ready for battle, kicking the first three goals.
There was noticeable noise in the opening minutes as the crowd's emotion was heightened given the lack of a warm up.
With a legion of supporters to harness, the Magpies have the ability to make it a hostile point-of-difference on opponents confronted with a wave of noise just before they run out – notwithstanding the opposing club must agree to the shift from tradition.
“We're pros so we get on with it,” Chris Scott said on Fox Footy pre-game.
It is the brainchild of Magpies strength and conditioning coach Jarrod Wade who has experience working in the NRL where running out immediately before kickoff is common practice.
