Would you go to the ends of the earth for your favourite team?
That’s pretty much what Rafe English is doing.
The university student, originally from Perth, is undertaking a journey of more than 50 hours across the globe — from Illinois in the US to Melbourne — to see his beloved Fremantle Dockers play in the grand final.
“I would fly from anywhere to see Freo play in this grand final,” English told the ABC during a seven-hour layover in Dallas, Texas, one of many stops on his epic journey.
“I say every year is our year, but in the back of my mind, I did have that sense that we were going to Docker it up.
“I knew when we strung together those last couple of games that I was going to be flying to Melbourne.”
Love and devotion
From his university in Normal, Illinois, English has watched fervently as his team climbed to the top of the ladder.
“Early mornings, but it’s all worth it in the end when you love the club this much,” he said.
His journey started with a two-hour train ride from central Illinois to Chicago, where he spent the night.Â
English then took a bus and a train for an hour to the airport, followed by a two-and-a-half hour flight to Dallas, where he boarded his final 17.5 hour flight to Melbourne.
This is the second ever grand final for the Dockers. They face the Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Saturday. (ABC News: Andrew O’Connor)
Dockers and dad
During his stopover in Dallas, English explained why the Dockers meant so much to him.
“Obviously what the club has built, and what they mean and stand for, but for me it’s the memories that I’ve had with my dad, and growing up, and that real connection,” he said.
Mr English is posting about his more than 50-hour journey on social media. (Supplied: Instagram)
He recalled how sad he was when the Dockers lost the 2013 grand final against the Hawthorn Hawks by just 15 points.
“I don’t think I spoke for about two or three days, as a nine-year-old, I was devastated,” Mr English said.
Many fans are traversing more than 3,000 kilometres across Australia to catch the grand final, but English’s journey makes the drive across the Nullarbor pale in comparison.
As the crow flies, the distance between Normal, Illinois and Melbourne is more than 15,000km — which is roughly five times the distance between Perth and Victoria’s capital.
English’s flight is scheduled to land in Melbourne at 5am on Saturday, where he will reunite with family and watch his team try to take the premiership.
“It would mean the world to me to see Fremantle lift up that cup after all these years of devotion,”
he said.
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