Fri, 28 Aug, 7:40 pm, Final score, Bulldogs 96, Magpies 93

Sat, 29 Aug, 7:35 pm, Final score, Demons 55, Blues 74

55 74 →Thu, 3 Sept, 8:10 pm, Final score, Dockers 40, Hawks 72

40 72 →Fri, 4 Sept, 7:40 pm, Final score, Cats 107, Blues 74

107 74 →Sat, 5 Sept, 3:15 pm, Final score, Swans 141, Lions 88

141 88 →Sat, 5 Sept, 7:35 pm, Final score, Crows 90, Bulldogs 68

90 68 →Fri, 11 Sept, 8:10 pm, Game not started, Dockers versus Cats

- - →Sat, 12 Sept, 7:35 pm, Game not started, Lions versus Crows

- - →Sat, 26 Sept, 2:30 pm, Game not started, Winner of PF1 versus Winner of PF2

- - →

"Get a haircut and get a real job" is a popular saying, but it was his luscious locks that helped Troy Nababan land a plum job.

He's the Fremantle Dockers guitarist, rocking Queen and AC/DC covers from the top of the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium.

The 38-year-old Morley father is one of a handful of people who can boast that they have played to a sold-out crowd at the stadium, among the likes of Ed Sheeran and Coldplay's Chris Martin.

"I dreamed I would [play stadiums] when I was very young, but I thought that opportunity had maybe disappeared as I got a little older," he said.

"It's not the sort of gig you get to have every day … during the game the sound of the crowd is immense."

A long way to the top

The gig is not for the faint-hearted.

The platform at Perth Stadium where Nababan stands is 42 metres high, or a 12-storey drop to the grass below. There are no handrails and worst of all, the metal grate is see-through.

Even after hundreds of games, Nababan — who is anchored to the platform by a harness — says he still doesn't look down.

"It does get slippery if it rains. I had a little trip maybe two or three weeks ago, went a little bit too hard and my sneaker got caught," he said.

But even that does not seem to faze Nababan. He says his biggest risk is rocking too hard and giving himself a wedgie.

"This is not the sort of gig you can do passively. They [the crowd] pump me up, I try and pump them up. I try and run around as much as possible," he said.

"The way the harness grabs is like a seatbelt. If I jump up a little too much, it sort of grabs, and I am wedgied."

'A bit of a strange gig'

It all started with a "random phone call" in 2019.

Nababan said his booking agent was looking for a long-haired guitar player for what they called "a bit of a strange gig".

"They said 'we want you to play on top of Perth Stadium', and I'm like 'alright' but I was thinking 'is that safe'?" he said.

"My philosophy from when I was much younger was always say yes. If there's an opportunity, just go for it."

Playing AC/DC covers was a natural transition. The guitarist is inspired by 80's hair metal like Mötley Crüe and Whitesnake.

In the purple haze of his recording studio, 30 guitars hang on the walls, most of them electric and more than one covered in rhinestones.

When he is not rocking the stadium, the father of two is a recording engineer who also teaches students at TAFE.

Rocking the bandwagon

Nababan goes to the park every weekend with his son to kick the footy but admits his love of the sport is relatively new.

"It was a slow transition, I'd watch the first quarter and head home, then it was watching the first half … and now unfortunately it's a big obsession of mine," he said.

"Every day it's what footy media is on YouTube, what podcast can I listen to … I just can't seem to get enough of it at the moment.

"The energy of this stadium this whole season has been really, really powerful. There's so much positivity, it's electric."

The musician is now firmly on the roller-coaster of being a Fremantle fan. He is still recovering from last week's upset defeat the minor premiers suffered against Hawthorn.

"It wasn't the best feeling, but I am choosing to be positive about it. I think the supporters are very firmly behind the club," he said.

Before tonight's elimination and his last gig of the year, the man behind the leather jacket and long hair said he would consume a lot of coffee, a lot of sugar and do his damnedest to create an electric atmosphere.

As for his hair care, a generous dollop of coconut oil stops it from drying out in the wind.