AT A glance, Greater Western Sydney deserves strong favouritism over West Coast in Saturday night's do-or-die semi-final.
Despite a poor qualifying final loss to Adelaide, the Giants are back at home, have enjoyed two days' extra break, and boast a dynamic midfield that overran the ageing Eagles twice this season.
• Forecast the road to the flag with the AFL Finals Predictor
West Coast has travelled across the country three times already this finals series, and only snuck past Port Adelaide in an epic elimination final after 140 minutes of gruelling football.
But dig a little deeper, and the contest becomes tougher to predict.
The Giants are licking their wounds, will be experimenting with a misfiring forward line minus leading goalkicker Jeremy Cameron (hamstring), and won't have the intimidating presence of Shane Mumford (foot) in the ruck.
There are also fresh doubts about Brett Deledio's fitness.
On the flipside, the Eagles are riding a wave of emotion, and champions Matt Priddis, Sam Mitchell and Drew Petrie are refusing to slip quietly into retirement.
Dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy looms large and his sidekick Jack Darling has hit form, while Jeremy McGovern stands in the way of GWS' out-of-sorts attack.
Can the settled Eagles continue their momentum after the euphoria of Luke Shuey's after-the-siren goal, or will the real Giants finally stand up and show why they are a premiership contender?
AFL.com.au has taken a look at five key issues leading into Saturday night's encounter at Spotless Stadium.
1. Will smaller Giants unsettle the Eagles?
West Coast's backline has been tough to penetrate in the past two games, conceding 131 points combined (in regular time) against the AFL's highest-scoring teams. Built around intercept king McGovern – who might be targeted on Saturday night by Harrison Himmelberg – the Eagles' back six love high balls coming into their defensive 50 so they can zone off and fly for marks. Normally, the Giants' three-pronged tall forward line suits West Coast's defensive setup. But with Cameron missing and Rory Lobb set to ruck in Mumford's absence, GWS has gone smaller in attack, bringing back out-of-sorts veteran Steve Johnson and first-year mid-forward Tim Taranto. The Giants have struggled hitting the scoreboard, booting just 107 points in their past two losses. Can a mobile forward mix prove the panacea?
2. Does Stevie J have a special finals performance left in the tank?
It was a major talking point when Johnson was dropped for the qualifying final. His pride would've undoubtedly been wounded having to run around in a reserves scratch match the day after the Giants were soundly beaten by the Crows, and the retiring 34-year-old, who has only booted two goals in his last four AFL games, will be determined to go out on a high this year. Will a dodgy knee allow the 2007 Norm Smith medallist to impose himself with a moment or two of trademark match-winning brilliance against West Coast?
3. West Coast has to shut down Josh Kelly
Adam Simpson is facing a conundrum. Should he tag? And if so, does he send Mark Hutchings to Josh Kelly or Dylan Shiel? Both Giants torched the Eagles in round 10 at Domain Stadium. In the round 22 rematch, Hutchings locked onto Shiel and restricted his influence to 21 touches and a goal, but Kelly got off the leash, racking up a career-best 43 disposals and hammering a nail in West Coast's coffin with a late major in the 21-point win. The Eagles didn't tag in the elimination final against Port Adelaide, and you could argue it helped their overall midfield run. But Kelly is in rare form. If he carves it up again, the Eagles will be cooked.
4. Is Lewis Jetta the key to an Eagles upset?
Everyone knows GWS' running power, and the 'Orange Tsunami' from half-back is the Giants' most dangerous weapon. We also know West Coast has trouble with fourth-quarter fadeouts. The Eagles haven't solved those issues, but Jetta has been vital recently. His late chase-down tackle and wonderful checkside goal in the round 23 win over Adelaide have been etched into West Coast folklore, while Simpson's inspired decision to have the speedster sprinting off the back of the centre square in extra time of the elimination final help tilt the clearance battle West Coast's way when the Eagles needed it most. If it is tight late, Jetta might be the match-winner.
5. West Coast must get out of the blocks
It is impossible to gauge how much impact back-to-back travel after playing an extra time elimination final will have on the Eagles but, following on from the previous point, it's a fair assumption that run could be an issue late. West Coast spent more time in front than any side during the home-and-away season but only won 12 games, and was reeled in despite leading the Power by 31 points midway through the second term. Simpson has resisted the temptation to bring in fresh legs, apart from recalling Sharrod Wellingham for Luke Partington. It's hard to see the Eagles winning if they're not in front at half-time.
