COLLINGWOOD star Brodie Grundy is ready for what West Coast ruck duo Scott Lycett and Nathan Vardy will throw at him as the Magpies look to make history in Saturday's Grand Final.
Grundy faced the Eagles pair in the Pies' qualifying final loss and had 48 hit-outs to their combined 28, whilst also gathering 18 disposals around the ground.
His brilliant season saw him named All Australian for the first time and he will head to Monday night's Brownlow Medal as one of the leading contenders to take out the honour.
Grundy said he didn't expect Lycett and Vardy to produce any surprises at the MCG this week as the Pies' look to cap an amazing season with a 16th premiership.
"I'm not expecting anything different. I saw them play [Melbourne's] Max Gawn last week and they were really task-oriented and I think that's really strength of Lycett and Vardy – they're willing to sacrifice their own game to do a role on quality opposition," he said on Monday.
"I expect pretty similar treatment for me this week and I'm just going to have to work extra hard to try and get away from them."
The 24-year-old said he "relished" the responsibility of leading the Collingwood midfield, and he was excellent in their dominant preliminary final win over Richmond last week.
"To have the mantle as the No.1 ruckman at the Collingwood Football Club is amazing. I wouldn't have thought when I came to this football club that it was possible given the quality of players around," he said.
Grundy fronted the cameras on Monday as a mass of media hit the Holden Centre, and the match-winner said the enormity of Grand Final week was starting to dawn on him.
"People talk about winning a premiership as the pinnacle of the sport, and players who have gone before me at this footy club have spoken about that and the feeling it gives you. Until you actually get to this week it's hard to describe and hard to articulate what it feels like, but it does feel pretty special," he said.
"Hopefully it can go the way we want it to go, and it gets put down in history. I'll look back on this year regardless of the result and be super proud of the group and the players that have really stood up this year."
Grundy's dominance across the season has attracted some attention as possibly the first ruckman to take home the Brownlow since Bulldogs big man Scott Wynd in 1992.
However, he will be going to the function with other things on his mind, believing Hawks ball magnet Tom Mitchell will win the award.
"It's been really nice to be mentioned among those sorts of players.
"I don’t think realistically it's for me this year, but I'm just really happy we're going to be playing in a Grand Final this week," he said.
"I've never been to a Brownlow Medal before so it'll be a great night."