Review: For the Jumper at Rosemount Hotel
For the Jumper at Rosemount Hotel
Friday, September 26, 2025
For the Jumper’s MC, New Talk’s Axel Carrington was the first to break out AFL merch for the night—a West Coast Eagles scarf slung low and casual around his neck as he leant into the mic and drawled, “It’s nearly bounce down.” The line landed like a private cue—equal parts cheeky, theatrical, and perfectly timed—the little moment that told the room this wasn’t just another gig but a pre-game rite.
Around the world, people have their own eves: Christmas Eve, with Santa squeezing down chimneys like he’s testing skinny jeans, or New Year’s Eve, the glitter-drenched countdown. But in Australia, AFL Grand Final Eve carries its own electricity, a national dress rehearsal where colours are ironed, superstitions dusted off, and playlists are primed to roar.
If you haven’t laid eyes on one of those red-speckled Sherrins since you hoofed one across a primary school oval, this year it was Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions—the two teams that closed out the Perth show. The music-comedy spectacle has run for a decade in Melbourne and finally made its Perth debut at Rosemount Hotel, just in time for the footy crescendo. Beyond the songs and laughter, it carried weight: the charity event funnelled proceeds into Reclink WA and Synapse Australia, with ambassadors dropping in throughout the night to share what those organisations mean on the ground.
The evening moved like a season in fast-forward. All 18 AFL clubs were represented, each “team” stepping up to belt out their club anthem before unveiling an original creation or cover. The opener copped the wooden spoon, as tradition dictates—this year, it was West Coast’s Robbie Rumble from the Love Junkies. He might have worn the dunce cap, but he secured the first draft pick for next year, which is its own kind of trophy.
What followed was less about polish and more about heart. Each act treated the stage like a locker room full of possibilities. Carrington reappeared later, swapping the yellow and blue for black and red, strumming a folky poem on guitar. He cheekily wove in Dwayne Russell commentary between stanzas, painting a time-travel match set in 2027 while also nodding to the “Groundhog Day” feel of seasons that refuse to shift for some clubs. It was part satire, part lament—exactly the sort of tonal mash that made the night sparkle.
Standouts were impossible to ignore. 14-year-old Dusty Thomas repped Carlton, delivering the tongue-in-cheek line, “I’m Tigers and he’s Bombers and together we make Carlton,” before flipping it into an OG called Carlton Sucks. Adelaide Crow’s Indi Steedman slowed the room with her velvet indie tones, a pocket of calm in the otherwise raucous climb. And then came Fremantle Dockers’ Gap Year’s Dan Harrison, who practically turned the modest Rosemount Hotel stage into a mini-arena. His tune Hope In The Port City had the sort of punch that should probably be slipped to Justin Longmuir as a pre-game chant suggestion.
Of course, a footy-themed night wouldn’t be complete without a few umpiring whistles. There were drunk punters talking over sets, bands fumbling through stop-start gear swaps, and the occasional guitar drowning out a lead vocal. Still, those imperfections felt true to the game: messy, loud, and oddly unifying.
By the end, For the Jumper had done what Perth’s footy culture often struggles with—pulled every team and every fan into the same room, singing, jeering, laughing. Karaoke anthems and disco ball odes replaced tribal rivalry, at least for one night. Then, with the Grand Final looming, everyone slipped back into their colours, ready to go competitive again next season.
RACHEL FINUCANE
Photos by Chaz Hales
