It’s been the ‘problem’ that’s been annoying some footy fans dating back to the 1980s – and now it can be revealed why the AFL premiership trophy doesn’t have the grand final winner’s name engraved on it moments after the final siren.
Melbourne-based insignia and medal company Cash’s have been responsible for the game day silverware since 1986 – and their methods are old school.
‘We still make the Cup exactly the same way it was when it was first made. So it’s all hand engraved,’ managing director Vin Formosa said.
‘A lot of engravings these days are all done on computer. The Melbourne Cup for example, that’ll be engraved on a machine.
‘We use a contractor … he engraves the Cup every year and when we get it back [from the winning team], he also engraves the team name.’
Formosa also stated the process is painstaking.
‘The Cup engraving takes about seven hours to do,’ he told News Corp. ‘It can’t be done in 15 minutes. It’s just not going to happen.
‘You [also] can’t afford to slip, because then it’s finished.’
Rival skippers Lachie Neale of the Brisbane Lions (left) and Dane Rampe of the Sydney Swans with the AFL Premiership Cup – which won’t be engraved with the winning team until well after the final siren
Pop star Katy Perry poses with the Premiership Cup – it comes as she will be paid a reported $5 million to perform at the MCG in front of more than 100,000 fans on Saturday
In terms of the Premiership Cup, Formosa quashed speculation that multiple versions are created annually.
He confirmed the coveted silverware weighs over 5kg – and requires around ‘100 hours’ of intimate detail before it is passed onto the AFL.
‘You would not believe how much effort goes into it,’ he said.
‘We keep making it because it’s very high profile and prestigious. That’s why we continue to do it.’
Remarkably, Formosa doesn’t charge the AFL for his expertise – and the 63-year-old plans to keep making the Cup until it becomes physically impossible.
First bounce of Saturday’s grand final between the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions starts at 2.30pm AEST.
You can follow all the action as it unfolds on Daily Mail Australia’s live blog.
