A wet Launceston afternoon could do little to dampen the spirits of football fanatics eager to make the most of Launceston's historic weekend of finals footy.
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The build-up during the week was like no other, with fans and businesses around town alike anticipating how the matches capture the town.
But with both matches run and won, Launceston came out victorious.
The games cost the Tasmanian government the princely sum of $500,000 each, but cabinet minister Michael Ferguson said he was confident the state had relished in the decision.
"Our restaurants and hospitality venues were booked out ... [these were] strong outcomes for employment and extra hours of work," he said. "But there's also a sense of energy that Tasmania is an AFL state, and that demonstrates, for our future aspirations, that Tasmania should have an AFL team of its own."
Outside the gates of the Western Bulldogs and Essendon grudge-match that would see the Bombers lose another final, extending their losing streak to 6203 days, the vibe was clear.
The Roach family had travelled to the game from Sidmouth hoping for an Essendon win.
Father of the family Chester Roach said it was a privilege to have his side play a final in his home state.
While the Roach family left disappointed, the Brown family was left divided.
Ashley and Clint Brown barracked for opposing sides, with Ms Brown a Bombers tragic and Mr Brown a Bulldog through-and-through.
The Browns were both seeing their side play in a final live for the first time, and Ms Brown said it was a highlight.
"He's sitting here watching the Bulldogs, I'm sitting here watch the Bombers. We're both watching our team play and it can't really get any better," she said.
Though the games came at a million dollar cost, did two full crowds of smiling faces, and bustling streets, prove it was worth it? Mr Ferguson seemed to think so.
Despite conceding it was impossible to conclusively say whether the state would seen a return on investment, he was confident when all was said and done the state had come away better off.
"It's recognised in the business community that the amount of grant funding the Tasmanian government can provide is returned many times over," he said.
"It is an intangible, but if you ask any business operator they will say it's delivering in spades."
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