Victorians will be spared police drones buzzing over their backyards on AFL grand final day.
But fans are being urged not to squander COVID-19 gains in the "last quarter".
Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius has warned there will be crackdowns on any gatherings for Saturday's all-Victorian clash that breach coronavirus guidelines.
Although drones will be used to monitor crowds and behaviour, police insist they won't intrude on backyards.
"We are not going to have drones hovering above pizza ovens in people's backyards," Mr Cornelius told reporters on Thursday.
"It's not like we have enough drones to police six million people across Victoria. That's ridiculous.
"Drones are a highly-valued capability that we prioritise for areas of greatest risk and, for us, in the public gathering space that's where we'll be using (them)."
Victoria Police's air wing will also be deployed, but Mr Cornelius said it had "bigger fish to fry" than small gatherings.
"I'd have to say if you saw a helicopter hovering over an out-of-control party ... you can be confident we've done it because the risk is so extreme that that response (is) merited," he said.
There are fears Richmond or Geelong fans may disregard health guidelines about crowd sizes throughout Saturday, particularly late in the evening after the final siren.
Richmond's Swan Street was a focal point for Tigers celebrations after the 2017 and '19 premierships.
Mr Cornelius reminded the Richmond faithful there were no pubs or clubs open but said they would be "setting the tone" in that area and in parts of Geelong win, lose or draw.
"We've put in place arrangements to ensure that whichever team wins, whichever community might be celebrating or might possibly be having a funeral, we'll be there to support them," he said.
"We'll be there to make sure that whatever's happening is happening in a COVIDSafe way."
Any illegal gatherings in homes would also attract police attention, he added.
Melburnians are not allowed to have friends or family visit their home for Saturday's decider, while regional Victorians - including those in Geelong - can only have two people over plus dependents.
Public health advice indicates the risk of transmission among people having a party at home is 20 times greater than any other community setting, Mr Cornelius said.
Mr Cornelius acknowledged the temptation for people to come together for the AFL grand final, before resorting to a sports analogy to rally Victorians for the ultimate goal.
"Here we are, if you like, in our own last quarter," he said.
"We can see the finish line in sight and we just need to hold the line in terms of making sure that we don't wind up with this weekend being a major spreader event."
Australian Associated Press
