Through gritted teeth, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has made good on his AFL grand final bet with Victorian counterpart Denis Napthine, promoting the eastern state in the heart of Perth while sporting Hawthorn colours.
As Fremantle prepared to take on the Hawks last week, the premiers had a side wager.
The losing premier would be forced to wear the rival team’s colours and hand out tourism brochures for the other state in their own city.
After the Dockers’ 15-point loss at the MCG, Mr Barnett had to pay up – by turning up in the Perth CBD sporting a Hawks’ scarf and shirt, and handing out Victorian tourism brochures.
“A bet is a bet,” Mr Barnett told amused Perth shoppers.
The forfeit was doubly galling for Mr Barnett as he is a West Coast Eagles fan – and had plenty to say before the Dockers’ took the field on Saturday.
“These Victorians, you can’t stop them, full of bulls*** and arrogance and reckon they are going to win,” he said on Friday.
On Tuesday, he was a bit less forthright, saying he was happy to go through with the bet while admitting he was “a bad loser”.
“Hawthorn were the better side on the day, but I and everyone in WA admired the way Fremantle fought back in the second half,” Mr Barnett said.
“I went for a long walk on Sunday morning in Melbourne looking for attractive features, and ended up in Fitzroy Gardens. I was warned not to go there at night time, but it is a very beautiful city – although it has not got much of a river.”