Bob Robinson embodies what it means to be a Swans member. He has faithfully paid his membership dues for the last 28 years and has watched the club evolve from a Sydney curiosity to a perennial AFL powerhouse.
Robinson entered the ballot for grand final tickets, desperately hoping to land one of the Swans’ allocated 17,500 seats in a stadium that holds 100,024. But was unsuccessful.
Robinson and his wife, Denise, planned to make the long drive to Melbourne on Thursday without a ticket, happy just to soak up the atmosphere among fellow Swans tragics.
Happily, though, he managed to secure tickets at the last minute through family in Brisbane. He appreciates just how lucky he has been.
“In previous years, I was more confident,” Robinson said. “Because I had a membership, I always apply [for grand final tickets]. The reality always was that getting tickets wasn’t all that difficult to do in the past – it’s never been really hard.
“I’ve never missed out on the grand final before, but this time, I knew it would be harder. And I knew it would be harder because, one, we had a mountain of extra members, and two, because my view is that the Swans are now the hottest ticket in town.”
Bob Robinson will make the long drive to Melbourne for the grand final with his wife, Denise.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Nic Bulley, a university student from Balmain, grew up supporting the Swans, enjoying the rollercoaster ride of each season with his family. The 23-year-old will drive to Melbourne in the hope of securing a ticket.
Bulley, too, is frustrated by the club’s small allocation. Melbourne Cricket Club members will take 23,000 tickets, 15,500 of which will go to AFL members and 7,000 distributed under AFL contractual obligations.