RORY SALAZAR | Finance | Contact
Marty Verkuylen (41) could not quite believe his luck in being one of the lucky Cats Members to get a ticket for him and his son to go to this year’s AFL Grand Final taking place at the hallowed MCG.
His gratitude and sense of wonder has buoyed him this last week as anticipation builds towards the exhilarating contest.
And while he is expecting a fierce game between two great clubs, the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans, his focus has recently drifted towards just how much money he is going to have to cough-up for food and particularly drink at the MCG.
“It’s the Grand Final so I’m going to make the most of it and definitely tie a few on,” admitted Verkuylen.
“But they only serve mid-strength beers there so you’ve got to have a fair few to even get a buzz on.”
“And during the season, they were charging like wounded bulls. I don’t even want to vocalise how much they charge, it’s obscene,” Verkuylen whispered while remembering fresh and difficult memories.
“I’ve already spent close to a grand on the tickets alone, and if I’m being honest it was money I didn’t really have to spend in the first place.”
“But all I can think about now is what they’re going to charge for beers. They always jack the price up for finals and once you’re in there, there’s nothing you can do, you just got to cop it sweet.”
The Advocate can report that the MCG does indeed price gouge in quite dramatic fashion, making it impossible for most fans to get a buzz on during a game, unless said fans are multimillionaires or have little understanding of the value of a dollar as it relates to the reasonable price of goods and services.
“I was up all last night thinking about it,” Verkuylen told The Advocate, “I got to a point where, mentally, I’ll be ok with a price of up to $25 per middy. That way, if they’re charging $15 or $18 per beer, I’ll feel like I’m saving money.”
While The Advocate was sceptical of the financial reasoning behind the Verkuylen’s approach, what was clear is that the man was spiritually prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on mid-strength beer in the space of several hours during the game.
