Daring pitch invader with a hole in his underwear storms the field during the AFL Grand Final as Melbourne pulls away for historic premiership victory

A pitch invader with a noticeable hole in his underwear stormed the field at three-quarter time during Saturday's AFL Grand Final.

With the Melbourne Demons well on the way to securing their first flag since 1964, the man sprinted onto the playing area at Perth's Optus Stadium.

Leaping on to the field at the city end, the man ran through the middle of the oval but was unable to escape security guards who were closely pursuing him.

The man - who was then escorted away by seven guards - could be issued a hefty fine of up to $5000.

Attention quickly though turned to the players wearing the blue and red guernsey as the Melbourne Demons broke their 57-year title drought.

The pitch invader being chased by security during the 2021 AFL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on Saturday

The man showed some impressive early pace, before the security guards swarmed in large numbers

Despite being cornered by security, the man was all smiles as he was escorted away from the field

The man was quickly removed by a team of security guards at Perth's Optus Stadium

The Demons were first on the scoreboard with two behinds before Christian Petracca extended their lead to boot the first goal of the contest.

Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs fought back strongly in the second quarter, finding themselves eight points up at halftime. 

An emphatic third quarter then set up the Demons to finally end their premiership drought, with the end margin a whopping 74 points.

Pre-game, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan arrived via train proudly donning a Melbourne scarf as he posed for photos with fans.

Footage of McGowan openly showing his allegiance to the Demons surprised Channel 7 commentators.

'He's made a statement there, I did not expect that,' James Brayshaw said.

Abbey Holmes added: 'That's controversial.'

The sell-out crowd also enjoyed a pre-match entertainment line-up of Australian chart-topping anthems from the likes of Eskimo Joe and John Butler ahead of the first bounce at 7.15pm .

But not everyone watching at home was impressed, with some calling the musical entertainment 'worse than Meatloaf' - referring to American singer Meatloaf putting in a widely panned 12-minute performance at the 2011 AFL Grand Final at the MCG.

Once the fulltime siren went, the Demons players celebrated as a unit after breaking their premiership drought of 57 years

The Demons celebrate after winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs

Luke Jackson of the Melbourne Demons celebrates after booting a goal during his team's Grand Final win

Jack Viney started the match strongly for the Melbourne Demons, who proved too strong for the gallant Western Bulldogs

Bulldogs cult hero Bailey Smith had an unusual preparation when he arrived at the ground separately from his teammates after leaving his official player accreditation at the team hotel.

In AFL obsessed Melbourne, fans have gathered at a number of private venues to watch the big game - despite warnings from health officials to stay home.

It came after Victoria recorded 847 newly acquired Covid cases and one death on Saturday, the highest daily infection spike during the pandemic.

A crowd of over 60,000 made their way to Optus Stadium in Perth for the 2021 AFL Grand Final