It’s massive to be involved in Grand Final week again. It’s been a great effort from everyone at the club to get to the big one, particularly after our slow start to the season when we were a bit behind the eight ball. To then turn it around and play some good football through the bulk of the rest of the year was a real positive and to get there this week is a great thing, but now we’ve got to go again one more time.

We earned our place in this year’s Grand Final after posting a strong win over North Melbourne last Friday night. It’s hard to rank Friday night’s win over the Kangaroos against other great performances we’ve had this year. It certainly was a very even performance from the boys, but we don’t really look at how one win compares to another, particularly at this time of year. After being a little bit sluggish in the opening ten minutes of the game, it went on to be a great all-round team performance from the group. Adam Goodes’ goal helped us get off the mark and then away we went from then.

From a forwards’ point of view, it was good to see the boys able to spread the load in the prelim and for all of them to have an impact in different ways was pleasing to see. Sam Reid came off at three-quarter time injured, but to spread the load of goal kickers and have blokes up the ground, as well as in the goal square, was a good thing. We also had Luke Parker sneak up a few times against the Roos and boot three goals, which is something he’s managed to do really well all year. He’s kicked 25 goals this year, so he’s shown he can be really valuable when he rests forward or when sometimes he sneaks down as a midfielder. He can take marks and he can kick goals when he gets on the lead as well, so he can certainly be dangerous when he gets down there. Friday night’s game was also a really strong performance from Kurt Tippett, who really worked his way into the game well. He didn’t let that slow start rattle him, and he came back and had a really solid game. I thought he was solid in the ruck as well, and it was good to see him get on the end of a few up forward and translate that to the scoreboard, which will give him some confidence coming into this week.

We know how good Hawthorn are and we’re expecting another epic battle that will flow both ways at times and we just hope we’re in front at the right time. From a forwards’ point of view, the Hawks have a really settled back six. The likes of Brian Lake, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton and Grant Birchall are all experienced, smart players who know what it takes to win on the big stage. It’s certainly going to be a big challenge for our guys to try and get the better of them. In saying that, we do think we have enough options up forward to throw around different options. Last week we showed that we can have a good spread of goal kickers, so that’s something we’ll need to bring into this game.

Grand Final week is obviously a very exciting time for the players and the club as a whole, and we’re really looking forward to being a part of it. The players have demonstrated throughout the finals series that they have a really good approach to big games, and if last week is any indication, then you can sense they have enjoyed it, but at the same time, they’ve been really switched on when it comes to training and getting their preparations right. When it’s time to lock in, they really lock in, and you can tell they enjoy it, so I’ve got no doubt they’ll be ready to go for the big one on Saturday at the MCG.