Plus, Johnathan Thurston. He's a player that gets loyalty no matter which team you really support. Turns out that loyalty comes even from Brisbane fans.

But this story is about another team. Team Working Australians. There are a lot of them during grand final weekends.

All of those people would love to be not working. They would love to be at the stadium. Or even on the couch with their entire family. But they can't because their families need the money to survive. Not because they're trying to pay private school fees, Bill Shorten, but because they need money for food and bills.

They are on the field. They are umpiring. They are selling us our beers and staffing our hospitals when we have keeled over from drinking those beers in the blazing heat. They look after the car parking at major sporting events so we don't all crash into each other. They are driving our trams, buses and trains.

Malcolm Turnbull was working too – and on Sunday, he travelled with most of us. He caught the train out to the stadium and even though he had a security contingent, he chatted to people on his way out. And greeted those who recognised him on his way into the stadium.

One of those was a young activist who bustled up to the Prime Minister so she could hand him a leaflet about the grand final. It asked: "Should the NRL move the grand final to a Tuesday morning?"

That's the question we all need to ask ourselves as this government and its allies seeks to reframe the debate on penalty rates.

Penalty rates are corporate social responsibility, enacted. They matter because our lives are not just about our jobs and the payment of a benefit for those of us who have to work unsociable or long hours makes up for that, in some small way.

The Fair Work Amendment Act (2013), places a requirement on the Fair Work Commission to consider those who are employed during "overtime; unsocial, irregular or unpredictable hours; working on weekends or public holidays; or working shifts". In other words, penalty rates are a way of protecting our weekends.

What would happen if penalty rates were cut? Business says it would have an impact on its ability to hire – that there would be a dent in youth unemployment. Here is a different side to that story – an analysis of new research from the McKell Institute shows that businesses might well take a hit from the very move they thought might help them.

It says workers in rural Australia would lose between $370 million and nearly $700 million from a partial abolition of penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors alone; and about half that amount would be lost in disposable income to local economies. Of course, the amount is much larger with a full abolition of penalty rates.

When the McKell Institute conducted qualitative research on what would happen in families if penalty rates were cut, the answers were stark: work longer hours; reduce ongoing spending when possible; spend less on discretionary items; reduce or cease saving, especially for one-off items. So, there is a clear risk to the Australian economy from any proposed cut to penalty rates.

And there is no appetite for it from the majority of Australians.

Earlier this year, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry misjudged the mood of ordinary Australians when it asked ordinary people to complain to the federal government about penalty rates.

The ad said: "This Easter long weekend, we're sorry that we will be closed. We'd like to be open to serve you. We'd like to give local people jobs. But the penalty rates are too high. Tell Canberra something has to change."

The ads didn't last long. Australians told their local shopkeepers and café owners that if their businesses displayed the posters, customers would take their custom elsewhere.

But the attack on penalty rates continues. At a conference in Sydney last month, Ged Kearney, president of the ACTU, made it clear she knew the risks to ordinary Australians. Kearney, who worked as a nurse for years, understands the real target is much bigger than hospitality or retail. Those mostly likely to be paid penalty rates work in social assistance and health care. And one-third of them rely on that income to pay basic household expenses.

She said at the conference: "I pledge now that if Malcolm Turnbull comes after our rights, the working women of Australia will come after him."

And one of those working women handed him that leaflet on the weekend. She gave up her weekend to protect ours.

How did Turnbull respond? He said thanks. He kept walking. But we are coming after him.

Twitter @jennaprice or email jenna_p@bigpond.net.au