IT WAS part of Steven and Jane Brookes’ marriage contract to both be Hawthorn members.
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And it’s stuck, with the Hobart couple attending three of the Hawks’ games in the past month.
‘‘We’ve been to the MCG and Spotless Stadium and now here,’’ said Mr Brookes, who grew up in Launceston.
The Brookes joined 11,320 other footy fan at yesterday’s clash between Hawthorn and the Gold Coast Suns at Aurora Stadium.
The game formed part of the Indigenous round, with the Indigenous community celebrated both on and off the field.
About 30 children from the Palawa community, aged seven to 11, played a curtain raiser to the match, and the Kanaplila-ripana dance group performed a short cultural dance.
Dancer Hayley Ogden, 13, of Launceston, said it was her first big public performance.
‘‘It feels really awesome being the centre of attention in front of thousands of people,’’ Hayley said.
A group of Indigenous children were meant to take part in the Hawk Walk from City Park to the ground.
However, the walk was cancelled due to bad weather.
The sun managed to make an appearance about midday, which worked well for those putting their heads in water to bob for apples.
Hawthorn’s Tasmanian operations manager, David Cox, said that before each AFL game at Aurora Stadium, there would be some kind of community activity.
Saturday’s activity was apple bobbing.
Contestants were selected for their ‘‘energetic dancing’’ in the crowd.
They then had one minute to bob as many apples as they could with their teeth and run 10 metres to drop them into a bucket.
Tess Kennedy, 18, who was visiting Launceston from Melbourne to see her cousins, won.
She received a trip for two to Melbourne, including flights and accommodation and tickets to the next Aurora Stadium AFL match.
David Cox said pre-match activities would continue and would always be unique Tasmanian things.
He said the initiative was a way to give more people an experience at the football and encourage people to arrive early.
The activities are usually done half an hour before the game.
Rain had people ducking for cover in the first half of the game, but it eased off in the last two rounds.
