EXCITEMENT continues to build ahead of the highly-anticipated release of the grand final teams to be published at afl.com.au at 5pm on Thursday afternoon.
Both Hawthorn and Geelong have closely guarded their final line-ups, leading to rampant speculation about who will come in and who will go out.
But all will soon be revealed.
Paul Chapman has been the big story out of the Cattery with his recovery from a hamstring injury, suffered against St Kilda in the qualifying final, providing Mark Thompson and his match committee with a selection headache.
However, on Thursday morning he did little more than speak with Thompson and jog a lap of Skilled Stadium.
David Wojcinski, James Kelly, Tom Lonergan and Travis Varcoe were all floated as the unlucky player to drop out as Geelong appears likely to make just one change.
The Hawks have a problem similar to the one the Cats faced this time last year when Mark Blake was forced to watch from the stands after Thompson opted for the experience of Steven King in the second ruck spot.
Ruckman Simon Taylor looms as the hard luck story at Hawthorn this year, playing 18 games before being rested after round 21 with an eye to freshening him up for the finals campaign.
His replacement, Brent Renouf, has impressed with his athleticism and aggression despite playing just seven games in his second season at the elite level and will prove tough to displace.
Tom Murphy also faces an uphill battle to reclaim the spot he lost to Stephen Gilham last week, but his cause is aided by the fact that he put in a particularly good performance in opposition to Geelong dangerman Steve Johnson when the sides met in round 17.
