GEELONG captain Tom Harley says anyone who believes the build up to the Grand Final is just another week in football is speaking hogwash.
Harley said the best way to cope with Grand Final week was to enjoy the ride and embrace it.
"It's a different week, and people who say: 'It's just another game' are kidding themselves," Harley said.
"We've got the Brownlow on Monday night, with seven guys going up, and then we've got training, and there will be blue and white all throughout the town, which is fantastic.
"It's genuinely exciting and great to be a part of it."
As part of the festivities, Geelong will be right in the thick of the Brownlow Medal action, with Gary Ablett and Jimmy Bartel two of the leading contenders.
"I think they're as good a chance as any – they're one and two in the betting," Harley said about Ablett and Bartel.
"Jimmy won last year and he'd be the first to say he'd love Gary to win [this year] and it makes hopefully for an enjoyable night – best of luck to both of them. Joel Selwood will poll pretty well, and Joel Corey will probably poll well.
"I probably won't, but I'll go up and support the guys."
Reflecting on Geelong's preliminary final win over the Western Bulldogs, Harley said it was most satisfying.
"It was a true preliminary final [with its] intensity. To get a result like that – a five-goal win and [we] kept them to 50-odd points – it's a pretty good preparation," he said.
"As a football fan, I think preliminary finals are the real purist rounds – it is absolute cut-throat. I was really proud of the boys' efforts."
Harley believed the Western Bulldogs played as well as they could against the Cats.
"I think they probably played as well as they could play … we really felt that their form was starting to turn around, and they'd be disappointed, no doubt," Harley said.
As for what he thought about kicking his first goal since round 17 last year against Fremantle last Friday night?
"I haven't kicked one for a while and it wasn't the prettiest kick, but I was rapt with it, and that's my first for the year.
"I kicked a goal against Freo last year and it was late in the quarter and late in the game I reckon, but I had a shot in a final last year. It was a similar thing, I took a mark and got a 50-metre [penalty awarded to me] and kicked it out on the full.
"I've only kicked 11 goals in 183 games, so I'll take it."
Meanwhile, Harley was delighted with the efforts of forward Travis Varcoe against the Bulldogs.
"I thought he played a fantastic game," Harley said.
"He put himself in the game, and to get the endorsement from the coach [that he will be playing in the Grand Final] this early out, is a fantastic thing for 'Bomber' to do. (Travis) knows he's going to play in a Grand Final, and it's testament to his work-rate.
"He missed out last year, so he'll be itching at the bit, and the same with 'Blakey' [Mark Blake]. We've got a few players that didn't play [in last year's premiership], so it's really exciting for them."
