"I'm a defender so my focus is beating my opponent, so I'll be going where he goes," Gibson said on Tuesday.
Aware that decoys have been tried on him in the past - Adelaide had some success during the preliminary final when Taylor Walker ran Gibson up the ground - the Hawk defender said he would only leave his post if he was certain he could propel the team forward.
"You want to be able to chop out for your teammates whenever you can but it's always nerve-wracking when you leave your man," Gibson said.
"But you've got to back your judgment and just make sure that if you get there that you impact."
Defence is one key area where Gibson is convinced Hawthorn will play with rapport after forming a solid buffer this season.
"Probably the key to myself and the other backs playing well is just the unity we've had in the group," he said.
"It's been really good this year, we've had guys consistently play a lot of footy together.
"Over the past few years we've had injuries down there so, just being able to play so much together, working out each other's game styles, being predictable to one another has made our jobs a lot easier."
After two preliminary finals - one with North Melbourne in 2007 and one with Hawthorn last year - Gibson is now taking advice on how to handle the biggest match of the year.
"I've spoken to some of the guys who have been there before and just asked them for tips to go about the week," he said.
"You want to enjoy the week but when it gets down to training time, keep that similar focus to things you have all year and try to keep normal preparation."
