CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
With only a few hours until a fairytale NRL Grand Final, rugby league fans across the country are beginning feel the nerves.
Rugby league royalty will take to the pitch this afternoon, with only two possible outcomes. Either the Melbourne Storm establishes itself as the greatest non-founding NRL franchise, or the Cowboys win their third ever premiership, without Johnathan Thurston.
However, while the Deep North is currently awash with blue, grey and yellow shopfronts – back down in the Victorian capital, fans are preparing for the match in a very different way.
Local Melbourne Storm fan, Art Decaux (29) says the fan culture in Victoria is more about laying low and only mentioning the fact you support rugby league when presented with a conversation about AFL.
“We’ve got a more European vibe down here,” he says.
“We don’t paint our shop fronts, in fact if they didn’t release this purple scarf I probably wouldn’t wear any colours at all. We are humble fan base,”
As one of 188 registered club members, Mr Decaux says that while the Storm fans aren’t ‘rabid lowbreeds’ like other NRL fans, it doesn’t mean he’s not fired up about this match.
“Carn the Stormies,” he says.
“We have blind faith in our captain Cameron Cronk. He’s a future mortal.”
