There have been some dire weather predictions for Ballarat when it hosts its first AFL game on Saturday, but they all appear to be a load of hot air according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Although, there will be an abundance of cold air at Mars Stadium when the Western Bulldogs do battle with Port Adelaide.
A chilly top temperature of 9 degrees will greet the players, but reported forecasts of snow and/or driving rain won't come close to eventuating with light showers at most to be expected.
"It's going to be very cold and there'll be a very slight chance of some snow overnight on Friday evening into Saturday, probably not in Ballarat itself, but about the high highlands to the east of Ballarat you might see some light snowfalls overnight," said a spokesman from the bureau.
"There'll potentially be some hail at Ballarat overnight but during the actual day itself, it's pretty unlikely. Almost definitely not likely there'll be any snow at the game.
"At the most it looks like it's going to clear up during the day and you could see a light shower during the afternoon at game time, but as far as it goes that's about it."
However, the players have been warned to prepare for some of the coldest conditions they've encountered all season.
"It's going to be cold with the brisk southerly wind, that's going to definitely feel cold," the spokesman said.
"You've got southerlies of 20-25km/h during the day and they're going to be pretty 'bitey' I'd say.
"There should be some sunshine breaking through the cloud at times and as far as it goes it's not going to be too bad as far as it could go.
"Some light showers are possible in the arvo so they will make it feel even colder if they do come at game time."
Eureka Stadium, Ballarat stage 1 officially opened on Saturday 29 July. The new main stand named 'The Eureka Stand'. pic.twitter.com/EmGGx7ckT7??? Austadiums (@austadiums) 1 August 2017
While still under the impression earlier on Thursday that snow could arrive on Saturday, Bulldogs president Peter Gordon joked that he was glad his side wasn't playing Melbourne.
The Melbourne supporter stereotype, of course, is that they love to travel to the snow during the winter months instead of watching their team play.
"I must say when I first did the deal with [Victorian premier] Dan Andrews and [Victorian treasurer] Tim Pallas all those years ago, I was kind of hoping we'd have a bright, sunny day and I'm hearing some weather forecasts saying there's a chance of snow," Gordon told SEN.
"We'll probably drive [to Ballarat] and get some advice from some Melbourne people about whether there's some kind of snow gear for the tyres," he joked.
Gordon described the match as important and historic.
"I'm not sure when the last time a VFL/AFL game was played for points in a venue outside Melbourne in Victoria other than Geelong. I think it might be some time in the 1950s," he told SEN.
"It's big and it's the start of something we hope will last for a long, long time in Ballarat to bring AFL footy to Ballarat."
The Bulldogs will train at Whitten Oval on Friday before car-pooling to the historic Victorian town where they will stay overnight, much like they have done with games in Geelong in recent seasons.
The game is not a sell-out yet and there are still some limited general admission tickets available through Ticketmaster.
