The ‘rabid’ Tigers fans who’ll have to wait until late Saturday night to find out the Grand Final result

Most Tigers fans will have their eyes glued to the AFL Grand Final on Saturday afternoon, but some devoted Richmond fans will have to wait until late on Saturday night to find out who won the game.

For Orthodox Jews who observe Shabbat, sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is a time for rest, worship and family.

During the Sabbath, TV, phones, internet and driving are banned, preventing many Jewish Tigers fans from attending or watching the game.

David Werdinger and his sons are among those who will be waiting until after 7pm to watch the final on Saturday.

He said although he and two of his sons, aged 25 and 11, are “rabid” Richmond fans, they’ve never considered breaking Shabbat for an AFL game.

“I have plenty of friends who said ‘oh, you know, walk to the game’ because we don’t drive on the Sabbath, or ‘go to somebody’s house who is watching it’,” he told 3AW’s Tony Jones.

“No, it’s going to break the sanctity of the Sabbath, it’s going to break the spirit, and that’s just not worth it.”

Mr Werdinger said he’s careful to make sure he doesn’t find out the result of games before he’s watched them, so he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out.

“I don’t think that I’m losing anything by hanging around at home and waiting until 7 o’clock and then watching the game with a bunch of friends,” he said.

“All I have to do is stay away from the cars on the street!

“Some people can’t stand it, some people don’t have the patience and as soon as the Sabbath is over they have to know what the result is, but a bit of patience is worthwhile as well!”

Press PLAY below for the full interview.

Image: Michael Dodge / Stringer