AFL grand final 2019: Grandparents of GWS and Richmond players prepare for that one day in September

GWS players Nick Haynes and Adam Tomlinson were inaugural players with the Giants in 2012. Both will line up in the club's maiden grand final on Saturday afternoon.

Both Haynes and Tomlinson have grandparents in Bendigo.

Richmond superstar Dustin Martin's grandmother Lois Knight, from Castlemaine, is heading to the game. She expects it to be close but if it blows out, Ms Knight hopes it goes in favour of the Tigers.

Norma Endersby, Haynes' grandmother, will cheer her grandson on with family in Torquay.

"We've been through beltings of 80 or 100 points," she said. "We've been there since the beginning. It's all very exciting for him and we're all so pleased.

"Nick is one of my nine grandchildren. He's number three and they're all sporty. He competes against netballers and volleyballers in the family.

"I was a Swans supporter for a million years and when he was drafted I changed to GWS."

Ms Endersby said Nick had handled the week as well as he could be expected to.

"He's very quiet and low key, he doesn't like all this fuss," she said. "He is as excited as Nick can get.

"He rarely feels stressed in a game but he told me in the last three minutes against Collingwood (in the preliminary final) he felt a bit stressed."

Bendigo's Basil Ashman will watch his grandson Adam Tomlinson from the comfort of his couch.

Mr Ashman said he hasn't spoken to Tomlinson too much this week.

"I deliberately don't go near him (for things like this) because you can muck them up," he said.

"Like all of the players, he was anxious and wanted to make sure he did everything as good as he could do it. He handled it well.

"We will see what happens. I hope it goes well. They've worked hard and deserve a good go, but so do Richmond."

Ms Endersby said a win for the Giants would be well earned.

"People say (the Giants) get a lot but 15 or 16 original players have gone and (what's left is) the core with the new kids," she said. "They've earned it. They haven't just been plonked in there."

Mr Ashman said the result could go either way.

"I don't think either one could say (they had it in the bag), they are both well matched. It's a great excitement.

"I just hope they play well and finish up with a win. And if it's sad (the result) then that's way it will be."

The AFL grand final starts at 2.30pm.

Chloe Whittle has been following the Giants for five years.

It started as a joke that has stuck and turned to a strong passion.

"I just love an underdog," she said. "It's started as a sh*tstir that just stuck."

Her friend Paige Allison used to support Hawthorn but change to GWS at Chloe's insistence.

"She got on bandwagon and then got me across. I'm positive it was a GWS game against Hawthorn that she got me across."

The Bendigo pair have enjoyed everything grand final week has had to offer from the open training session, to the parade and ending with the game at the MCG tomorrow.

"I was at the prelim and had my name in (grand final tickets) ballot. I was confident we would get here," Chloe said.

"We know it's going to be the Giants, they've got the fire in their bellies and at training they were looking good.

"It's crazy to be here. We obviously have a smaller fan base than Richmond but the Orange Army's passion is mental."

Paige lucked into her grand final ticket through a client at work.

"I work in childcare and it's been footy week all week," Paige said. "One of my parents said I've got (a grand final ticket) if you want it. I bought it in a heartbeat.

"I've got a gut feeling we will get up. I feel like nobody has given use enough credit. We only have 30,000 members, so it would be nice to see some more Victorians backing the Orange Army."

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