Dees, Tigers keen to keep Anzac game flame alive AFL.com.au
21 April 2016MELBOURNE and Richmond remain committed to the Anzac Day eve fixture, even though it falls on a Monday night next season.
And Demons chief executive Peter Jackson has revealed plans to make this year's fixture stand apart from the traditional Collingwood-Essendon clash.
The parents of fallen solider Lance Corporal Andrew Jones will light the flame at the MCG on Sunday in what promises to be stirring pre-game ceremony which will focus on the more recent sacrifice of Australia's servicemen and women.
Lance Corporal Jones was killed by a rogue Afghan soldier on a patrol base in May 2011.
His parents David and Jenny will play a key role in Sunday night's commemorations.
"There's been about 73,000 people deployed on operations overseas since 1999, and there's been 42 soldiers that have given their lives for the country since that time as well," Jackson explained to AFL.com.au on Thursday.
"The parents of one of the soldiers will be lighting the flame," he said.
Jackson conceded there had been "a bit of trepidation" at League headquarters about scheduling the Sunday night fixture, despite last year's successful Friday night game between the two clubs.
The MCC said it was predicting a crowd upwards of 50,000 for the match, which begins at 7.10pm, after the lighting of the flame, last post, minute's silence and national anthem.
The torch will again be carried on horseback after being lit from the eternal flame in the forecourt of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.
Regardless of the turnout on Sunday night, Jackson insisted both clubs would lobby the AFL to keep scheduling the Anzac eve fixture.
"I think if we're going to do this, we have to be absolutely genuine. I don't think you can shift it just because it happens to be a Sunday night and you think people may not want to come.
"If you're going to run an event like this and tie it to a particular … historical of significance to the country, you have to be genuine and authentic about it, so if that's the night, that's the night.
"From our point of view the two clubs are definitely committed to it, but the AFL's got to fixture it."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-04-21/demons-tigers-keen-to-keep-flame-of-anzac-game-alive
