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Blues fans Shane Britter with his kids Charlie, 9, and Harvey, 11, on Lygon Street in Carlton.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n Carlton fans are flying high after Friday night\u2019s stunning last-gasp result at the MCG in front of more than 96,000 fans, which secured the Blues a spot in the preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions next weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cMy god,\u201d Williams was recorded saying after the win. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDe Koning\u2019s in the air, everywhere I look around. De Koning\u2019s everywhere, leaving bodies on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019s better than his brother and his better than his dad.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only one Thomas De Koning and he\u2019s the best one we\u2019ll ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n Closer to home, Blues diehards from around Melbourne gravitated to the club\u2019s spiritual home on Lygon Street in Carlton on Saturday.<\/p>\n <\/strong>With the Baggers playing finals footy for the first time in a decade, Carlton flags and posters returned to windows along the famous Italian dining strip. Supporters wore matching caps, jerseys and scarves as they celebrated the club\u2019s inner Melbourne roots.<\/p>\n The Anning family on Lygon Street in Carlton after the Blues win on Friday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n Shane Britter has been a Blues fan for 48 years \u2013 since the day his grandfather arrived at hospital the morning he was born and tied a Carlton scarf to the end of his crib. \u201cIt\u2019s still the scarf I wear to the football,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a kid, when Carlton won you\u2019d come to Lygon Street \u2013 my grandparents used to bring me here the day after a game, it was always the heartland.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlton\u2019s on-field renaissance means he\u2019s passing on that ritual to his children, Harvey, 11, and Charlie, 9, and travelled from East Bentleigh on Saturday for lunch and ice cream.<\/p>\n \u201cHarvey was only one when we last played finals last time and Charlie hasn\u2019t seen any,\u201d Britter said.<\/p>\n Noreen Anning and three generations of her family joined the pilgrimage to Lygon Street for coffee and to absorb the atmosphere. When she immigrated from Scotland in 1971, Noreen didn\u2019t know anything about the local game.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I saw on television that beautiful Alex Jesaulenko mark,\u201d she said. \u201cI looked at the TV and I thought: wow, that\u2019s just something special, so that got me involved\u201d.<\/p>\n Noreen has passed that passion down to her children and grandchildren. Her husband David backs Hawthorn, but happens to be the nephew of former Blues vice captain John Chick and has a Carlton membership too.<\/p>\n An army of Blues fans will be online on Monday trying to book tickets to the clash in Brisbane next weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we get tickets, we\u2019ll all try to get there,\u201d Noreen said, capturing the cautious hope bubbling up among long-suffering Blues supporters. \u201cDo we dare to dream?\u201d<\/p>\n Carlton supporter Michael Ross from Bunbury, WA. He bought his flight a month ago, not knowing if Carlton would make the eight (or whether the game would be in Melbourne).<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Penny Stephens<\/cite><\/p>\n Getting there could be expensive, though. By midday Saturday, the cheapest return flight to Brisbane showing on Google Flights for next weekend was $865.<\/p>\n A Qantas Group spokesperson said the airline had already added one extra flight to help get more fans to the game.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth Qantas and Jetstar will continue to monitor demand for flights closely over the weekend and will schedule additional services if needed,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs is always the case, the lowest fares on each airline sell the quickest.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Robbie Williams, he may appear to be a new passenger on the navy-blue bandwagon but he has been pictured in a Carlton guernsey as far back as 2012.<\/p>\n He met Carlton coach Michael Voss last year in the lead-up to his performance at the grand final and was presented with a new jumper.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019m going for Carlton,\u201d Williams told Seven at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThey sent the coach to come and say hello and we had a great chat. They bought me a shirt and I\u2019m easily swayed. I also like that white emblem thing they\u2019ve got on the front, and the navy blue.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams also hit the socials last week when he celebrated the Blues\u2019 thrilling six-point win over Sydney with a little ditty referencing the Swans\u2019 heavy loss in last year\u2019s decider to Geelong.<\/p>\n Happy Days: Patrick Cripps battled a bleeding nose to help edge the Blues to victory over the Demons.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cEvery time, every time,\u201d Williams sang. \u201cEvery time I watch the Swans, the Swans have lost to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t the only celebrity to pay public tribute to De Koning after the Carlton win either, Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott was captured on camera sharing a hug with the star after the match.<\/p>\n Carlton midfielder Sam Docherty said he never lost faith that Carlton could come back, maintaining a \u201cweird feeling we were going to win\u201d \u2013 even at nine points down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was not based on anything other than confidence in the group that we\u2019ve got,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat last 15 minutes was just incredible. Just an amazing effort by the entire footy club.\u201d<\/p>\n It seemed the Melbourne Cricket Club lacked faith in Carlton despite the win, wrongly declaring the Demons were through to the preliminaries in lights at the stadium on Friday night.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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