Melbourne has eclipsed the 1987 record for the hottest AFL Grand Final, with Sydney Olympic Park in record setting territory tomorrow. It has been a grueling season for both the NRL and AFL, with fatigue and injuries playing a large part in a series of games. The weather is putting on one final test for the players, particularly in the AFL being played in the Saturday afternoon sun. Never before has gameday been this hot for the AFL Grand Final. In 1987 the mercury topped out at 30.7 degrees. Today, the mercury eclipsed that mark at 2:47pm. In fact the temperature should hover around 30 degrees throughout the game, only showing noticeable cooling near the final siren as the sun starts to set. This kind of heat should increase the importance of fitness, injuries and the use of the interchange. Sydney Olympic Park will be very hot tomorrow, with the temperature set to reach about 35 degrees all the way to the beaches, thanks to westerly winds throughout. The record hottest NRL Grand Final day was set last year, when Homebush nudged 34.7 degrees near 5pm. The game started at 28 degrees, but by half-time had dropped to a mere 19 degrees thanks to the cool southerly change. This time around the players won't be so lucky as the warmth will linger through the game. The match should start just shy of 30 degrees and finish near 23. The hot weather will continue in Melbourne until Tuesday and in Sydney until Wednesday, before a gusty cold change drops the temperature sharply. Melbourne and western Sydney will experience its hottest spell this early in spring on record, whilst Sydney will have its hottest October run since 1998.