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It’s not uncommon to want to keep the celebrations going into the night when your footy team wins, especially in September.
What is less common, however, is that the house you kick on to is Kiribilli. Yes, that’s right, Kirribilli House. As in the home of the prime minister.
But that’s exactly what happened last weekend when Anthony Albanese’s Hawthorn held off GWS in Sydney in an elimination final.
“Beers back at mine!” the PM exclaimed to the Hollywood Hawks.
Prime Minster Anthony Albanese and Hawthorn president Andy Gowers.Credit: Marija Ercegovac/Getty Images
OK, so we’ve used a little creative licence with that quote, but you get the picture.
What is absolute fact, though, is that Hawthorn president Andrew Gowers, CEO Ash Klein and a few more senior Hawks staff members were invited for a celebratory drink back at Kirribilli House.
While a couple followed the prime minister’s official convoy, a few others, including Gowers, had to Uber. Quick side note: imagine typing Kirribilli House into the Uber search? (Surely you have to order Uber Black.)
Anyway, about halfway from the Giants’ home ground in Western Sydney to Albo’s residence, Gowers became anxious.
“I can’t come empty-handed, can I?” Gowers thought. So he asked the Uber driver to make a quick detour to a bottle shop.
Now consider, if you will, being on the way to the prime minister’s house for drinks. What do you buy? A nice Blanc de Blanc, perhaps? Maybe you go all out and try to impress him with a bottle of Grange? (Sorry, Hutchy, last time, I promise).
Well, not Gowers. He buys a slab of Victoria Bitter. Yep, that’s right. The president of the Hawks rocks up to Kirribilli House and hands the PM a case of Green Demons. You couldn’t make it up.
The PM celebrates a Hawthorn win in June this year with coach Sam Mitchell.Credit: AFL Photos
“When you are a guest of someone’s house, you should take something,” Gowers told Scoop in September.
“I thought to myself, what better than some Victoria Bitter to give the Sydney and Canberra-based prime minister?”
Unfortunately, the VBs were not opened. Instead, the PM served his own beer. Literally. The “Albo Pale Ale” (made by Willie the Boatman) was the beer of choice that day, among some other fine wines, we’re told. The Hawthorn guests were astonished by the sheer beauty of the location, including the unique view of Sydney Harbour.
Suddenly, Albo darted inside and returned to the balcony with an Eveready torch. “Come with me,” he said. And when the PM gives you an order, you follow.
So, with the sun fully set, the small party descended on the illustrious lawns of Kirribili, with Albo leading the way.
Eventually, after fossicking through some trees, they found the PM’s secret spot, with arguably the best and unarguably the most exclusive view in NSW.
At this point, a Hawthorn staff member commented at his surprise that there weren’t more security members present.
“Oh, they’re here,” the prime minister said. “You just can’t see them.”
We approached the PM’s office for comment on the adventurous night, and while they enjoyed the retelling of the story, they politely declined to comment.
All in all, it was a special night for the Hawks, the prime minister and even his family. Albanese’s son, Nathan, who’s in his mid-20s and, like his father, is a keen Hawthorn supporter, also joined the festivities.
And maybe there’ll be another Hawks party this week. Word has reached us that Albo hasn’t ruled out darting to Melbourne this Friday to catch Hawthorn’s preliminary final against arch rivals Geelong.
Maybe he’ll even get to finally have a VB.
