Thousands of footy fans are starting to stream through the MCG gates and brave ominous weather to watch St Kilda and Geelong battle for the AFL premiership flag.

The chilly weather and threat of hail and thunder have failed quell fans' enthusiasm and the MCG was awash in a sea of club colours.

Geelong fan Peter Conheady, from Camperdown in the state's west, has watched his club play in five grand finals at the MCG and said he loved the atmosphere the day generated.

"I love being a part of all this enthusiasm, excitement, passion and energy that this game evokes," he said.

He said he was confident his team would win and felt Gary Ablett's Brownlow Medal win was a good omen for the Cats.

St Kilda fan Daniel Reid said he expected his club would win a close game.

"I think it will be a tight one - three points," he said.

"We're going to bite some nails."

He recalled the 1997 final in which St Kilda lost to the Adelaide Crows and admits to having shed a tear back then.

"Hopefully I won't be crying today," he said.

Amid the more conservative fans dressed in suits and scarves were Cats fans in blue-and-white tutus and Saints supporters sporting halos. Others settled for faces and hairdos painted in team colours.

One fellow stood out in a bright red suit with a black shirt and white tie. Neil Thompson travelled from the Northern Territory this morning and said he wore the ostentatious gear to show his love for St Kilda and hoped to score some tickets to the match.

"I'm a long-suffering St Kilda fan, I've always supported them and come down just on the off chance I'd get a ticket," he said.

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