The Hayden Ballantyne-led Longmuir Coach back on the road after breakdown in South Australia on way to AFL Grand Final

The ‘Longmuir Coach,’ a sleeper bus transporting avid Dockers fans from Perth to Melbourne, struck trouble in South Australia early on Wednesday.

Carrying former Docker Hayden Ballantyne, the bus suffered a mechanical issue near Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.

But thanks to the handy work of Karl from Streaky Bay Mechanical, the ‘Longmuir’ is now back on its way to Melbourne and expected to arrive in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“Not all heroes wear capes,” Ballantyne said in an Instagram video

“Karl here has come along. Had to drive an hour out to the bus for us.”

The problem was a split turbo oil line.

It left passengers stranded for several hours, with Ballantyne taking matters into his own hands after being pictured covered in oil.

“Our little drama is just about to be fixed,” Ballantyne said in an Instagram video

“We’ve got Karl from Streaky Bay Mechanical coming out with the part that we need. He’s bringing out that new line and 20 litres of oil for us.

“Fingers crossed we’ll get the big bad girl back on the road.”

If there’s anything we’ve learnt about Fremantle this year, it’s that the Dockers finish strong.

Here’s hoping that the Longmuir coach does the same on its remaining 16-hour stretch into Melbourne.

WHAT DOCKERS DIEHARDS ARE DOING TO GET TO MELBOURNE

Football fans will pretty much do anything to get a ticket to the Grand Final if their team is playing.

But for some, just getting to Melbourne is taking an extraordinary effort, with buses, ‘Wharfie Mobiles’, and even Freo fan charter flights just some of the options Dockers fans are taking to get to Melbourne.

With the cost of some domestic flights soaring as high as $2500 return for those flying from Perth, devout Freo fans are showing a willingness to go the long way – even if it means making the 36-hour drive across the Nullarbor.

Private charter flights

With domestic airfares soaring in prince, intrepid Dockers diehards have chartered their own flights.

Kathy Collett has chartered two 100-seat Fokker planes – a journey they also embarked on when Fremantle made their maiden Grand Final appearance in 2013.

“We did it in 2013 and we just thought, ‘we know how costly it gets if you leave it to the last minute’,” Ms Collett told Perth’s 6PR.

“So we thought, ‘let’s go back to the list we did in 2013 and see if we get much interest’, and lo and behold, everyone was involved.”

‘Wharfie mobiles’

For those keen to keep their feet on the ground, potentially thousands of travelling fans could form a purple fan convoy for the march east, replete with custom-decorated ‘Wharfie Mobiles’.

25-year member Mark Potts and his wife Jenny started the ‘Fremantle Dockers supporters convoy to the GF 2026’ Facebook page which has amassed over two and a half thousand members.

Mr Potts said they began started planning the drive in July after the Dockers went 12-1, convinced they’d be playing on that last Saturday in September.

“We said, ‘you know what? This is it. This will be the year. Let’s just plan a trip’,” Mr Potts said.

With petrol prices surging, Potts said they will gladly face the mounting cost.

“We’ll spend probably about $3500 on fuel by the time we get home,” he said.

The Justin Longmuir

Meet ‘Justin Longmuir’. Not the Fremantle Dockers coach himself, but the bus named in his honour.

While the actual Justin Longmuir won’t be behind the wheel, a dedicated crew of Fremantle fans will be driving this coach across the country to Melbourne.

Phil Robbins, long time Freo supporter who charted the same course back in 2013, is preparing to make the trek once again.

“It (the bus) was originally named Ross Lyon, we bought the coach in 2015 when the Dockers were minor premiers,” Robbins said.

“We’re leaving tonight, we’ll probably be arriving there by Wednesday night, driving non-stop.”

Former Dockers agitator Hayden Ballantyne will be among the fans making the trek on the bus.

And, when he’s not annoying everyone in the back, he’ll actually be driving.

“We’ll see how fast I can get this big girl going,” he said.

“I’ve got my HR (heavy vehicle) licence now so I’ll be testing the accelerator.

“I’ll get bored after the first hour and start giving shit to everyone, we’ll see how it goes for them.”

Ballantyne said Victorians should prepare for an influx of West Australians cheering their team in hope of a maiden AFL premiership, starting with the purple bus that – all going well – will pull up in Melbourne on Thursday morning.

“I was once told never say no to an opportunity, so I thought let’s do it,’’ he said.

“I’ve never driven across the Null before. Probably won’t do it again. But hey, we’ll have some fun.’’

There will be 12 “diehard” Freo fans on the bus, which has little more than a TV for entertainment.

“I’m sure we’ll be watching a few old games, and on Wednesday I might get Sky Racing up and have a few bets while we’re going along and enjoy the trip,’’ he said.

“But it’s 36 hours total so we should be getting there by about Thursday morning.’’

Originally published as The Hayden Ballantyne-led Longmuir Coach back on the road after breakdown in South Australia on way to AFL Grand Final