Hawthorn Hawks megafan Priji Vijayakumar bags free tickets, flights to AFL finals game

For Hawthorn Hawks megafan Priji Vijayakumar, the AFL is a family affair. The lifelong Hawks supporter has jagged free tickets, flights and accommodation from Virgin Australia for this weekend’s finals contest against the GWS Giants in Sydney, and his wife Heather and their two sons Lucas and Toby are coming with him to revel together in all the passion and drama of their beloved sport. “We’ve always gone (to the games) as a family,” he told NewsWire. His eldest boy attended his first Hawks match as a three-month-old baby. “It’s always had this family club mantra,” he said, when asked what he loved most about his legendary Melbourne team. “There’s always been a big strong family focus. “They make a big point of making sure the connection with the families and the players are there. “I think that’s just really lovely to see. When some of the players who have kids, it just feel like they are all part of the family. “It’s not just the player, they’re whole family is a part of it.” Thursday night marked the start of the month-long AFL finals bonanza, which will culminate in the Grand Final spectacle. Priji reckons the Hawks have a good shot of going all the way if they can overcome the Giants on their home turf at Engie Stadium this Saturday. “Ten years since we’ve won a flag,” the 42-year-old management consultant said. “We’re overdue, really. I think we’re well set. To be honest, this is the one (The Giants match) I’m most worried about. “If we can win this week, I think we’ve got a good chance of going all the way.” Eight AFL Teams and their supporters will crisscross the country over the next four weeks as they battle it out to reach the Grand Final. Virgin is the official airline partner of the AFL and the company is ramping up flights to cover the expected increase in traffic. Virgin will add more than 500 additional seats on the Brisbane-Melbourne route to support travelling Geelong fans. More than 7000 seats are also on sale between Melbourne and Sydney to support travelling Hawthorn fans and more than 2000 seats are on sale between Brisbane and Perth to support travelling Gold Coast fans. The company is also treating a megafan like Priji each week with free tickets to a game along with free flights, accommodation and lounge access. Priji found out Monday he was on his way to Sydney and said he was “very excited” to be a part of the action. “I was like, ‘this must be a scam, right?’,” he said. When asked why he fell in love with the AFL, he referenced the open nature of its culture and the toughness of the game. “It’s one of those sports, I actually think anyone can play,” he said. “You can have a short, fast person, or a tall, bulky person, you can get any body shape or size. “It’s probably the sport that has the most different physical attributes that are required.” “It’s such an exciting game to watch.”