Victoria Premier Ben Carroll takes example from ‘Wharfie Time’ ahead of upcoming State election

The descent of ‘Wharfie Time’ into infamy may have been confirmed by the phrase entering the political lexicon, with under-pressure Victoria Premier Ben Carroll using it as an analogy for the State’s upcoming election.

Fremantle’s much-discussed crowd activation-turned-phenomenon rang out after they took a 17-point lead inside the final five minutes of Saturday’s grand final.

But its use only spurred on their opponents Brisbane, who responded with four quick goals to steal a dramatic seven-point win.

After the Lions secured their third consecutive premiership, multiple players and their coach Chris Fagan opened up on how they had planned to turn an initiative designed to help the Dockers against them.

And the example was clearly not lost on Carroll, who was among a 100,023-strong crowd to witness one of the best-ever season deciders at the MCG.

“It’s very clear that the Liberals and One Nation think they’ve got this election in the bag,” Carroll said on Monday.

“Well, we’ve got a message for them: it’s Wharfie Time, and we know Victorians will want a positive plan for the future.”

Ahead of next month’s election, Victoria’s Labor government — which has been in power since 2014 — is lagging in polls.

According to the latest Mood of the Nation report released by public affairs and strategic communications consultancy SEC Newgate, only 19 per cent of Victorians rate the state government’s performance as good, very good or excellent, while 60 per cent rate it poor or very poor.

-With AAP