Collingwood fans erupt over ‘appalling’ AFL grand final ticket farce

Collingwood members have been left angry after a ticket drama for the AFL grand final ballot left many feeling dudded. (Getty Images)

Collingwood fans may have been rejoicing at the change of watching the Magpies take on the Brisbane Lions at the MCG next week, but ticket drama has left some AFL diehards absolutely seething. Collingwood defeated Greater Western Sydney on Friday in a 58-57 thriller to advance to their first grand final since 2018.

And as expected Collingwood members jumped online in a bid to secure their tickets to the big day. The MCG reserves around 40,000 seats for the two membership bases of the competing clubs. This means many will miss out, which is why members pay more to gain priority tickets. Collingwood category one members are meant to be guaranteed a ticket in the grand final ballot, which comes at the cost of an expensive annual fee with the hope the team reaches the pinnacle day.

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However, countless furious Collingwood fans took to social media to claim they hadn’t been guaranteed a ticket. This was in stark contrast to other category two and three members securing tickets and better seats.

Journalist Jacqueline Felgate detailed an experience from a fan who shared a message having apparently missed out on a ticket as a priority one member. “There are major issues with Ticketek and the ballot system for GF seats,” the message read on Instagram.

“I am a Priority 1 Collingwood Member with a guaranteed seat at the GF (just not guaranteed where the seats are). The ballot was yesterday. I don’t have a seat, even after registering for the ballot and receiving both SMS notification and Ticketek account notification that my registration was successful.

“My brother is a priority 1 Collingwood member, also guaranteed a seat but is on level 4 at the very back. A friend is a Priority 3 member and has a seat on level 2.

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“I buy a membership in good faith that I will be guaranteed a seat at the GF if Collingwood makes it, and now they have, a ticketing error on Ticketek’s side has seen many P1 members without a ticket they were guaranteed to receive.”

Felgate shared plenty of stories from fans who were frustrated. Angry fans detailed their frustration having paid the hefty fee for top membership, only to be apparently let down ahead of the grand final.

Ticketek told News.com.au in a statement that they were aware of the frustration, but the process “ran as per the instruction from the AFL, Collingwood Football Club and the MCG.”

Collingwood await the Lions at the MCG next Saturday in a battle of the regular season’s top two teams. It will be Brisbane’s first grand final since 2004 as they aim to break a 20-year flag drought, their 2003 triumph the final chapter of a three-peat that included two wins against the Magpies.

Their Saturday evening triumph ended the Blues’ brave run – from 15th in round 13 with just four wins – under coach Michael Voss, the captain of Brisbane’s triple-premiership winners.

Darcy Moore (pictured) and his teammates will play in Collingwood’s first AFL grand final since 2018. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Magpies captain Darcy Moore is hoping Taylor Adams is able to prove his fitness for the AFL grand final.

Adams missed the thrilling one-point preliminary final win over GWS with a “very minor” hamstring injury and is a chance to recover in time to face Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday.

But the 30-year-old vice-captain, who Moore describes as the “heart and soul” of the team, still has boxes to tick in the coming days before being given the green light to play.

with AAP

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