Wharfie Time cleared for MCG as Dockers meet Lions in Grand Final
Fremantle's 'Wharfie Time' will sound at the MCG on Saturday.
The AFL has cleared the Dockers to use their famous in-stadium rally cry in the Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions, ending debate about whether it belonged at a neutral venue. The Guardian
'Wharfie Time' is Fremantle's mid-game activation. It is saved for moments when the team needs a lift, and it rolls tolling bells, special lighting and vision of a boat crashing through waves across the big screen to pull the crowd in.
The permission comes with limits. Fremantle has been approved to trigger it once during the 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final, with the plan for it to fire if Saturday's decider is close in the final quarter. AFL Brisbane's club songs have also been cleared for the day. The Age
That detail mattered. 'Wharfie Time' was built for Optus Stadium in Perth, where the sound and lights can turn a tense last quarter into a wall of noise. Taking it to the MCG, Australian rules football's biggest ground and a neutral venue for the Grand Final, raised the question of home advantage.
Fremantle knows the routine works. Patrick Voss sealed the semi-final win over Geelong after the button was pressed in Perth. Then came the hard part. There was no 'Wharfie Time' at the SCG for the preliminary final, where Fremantle stormed home from behind to beat Sydney by 12 points and lock in only the second Grand Final appearance in club history. Fremantle FC
The 2026 AFL Grand Final between Fremantle and Brisbane is scheduled for Saturday, 26 September, at the MCG, with the opening bounce listed at 2:30pm.
What makes this stand out is the mix. One side carries a port-city ritual built on bells and big waves. The other brings its own songbook. For fans, this means Saturday will still feel like a Grand Final, just with a little Fremantle docked in Melbourne for one quarter.
