The skipper is a chance to return from a nagging achilles problem that kept him out of the Bulldogs’ round 22 clash with Essendon.
Griffen, who hurt his knee against the Bombers, will have a light week on the track in a bid to be fit for Saturday night.
He does not require surgery on the knee, which has suffered no ligament damage. The diagnosis is bone bruising and swelling.
Meanwhile Shaun Higgins is considered almost certain to return from a calf problem and a bout of thyroiditis after a good performance in the VFL on the weekend.
Ruckman Jordan Roughead will miss the first and possibly second finals with a shoulder injury, which opens the door for experienced big man Will Minson.
Easton Wood is also a chance to play after recovering from a hamstring while Brian Lake is expected to line up despite lingering troubles with his hip.
Coach Rodney Eade said Lake had recovered well from the Essendon game despite appearing sore again throughout the night.
“He’s been carrying a bit of a hip and you can tell by the way he’s played the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“That’s a little bit better and he’s pulled up reasonably well from the game so he should be fine.”
He also said the Dogs would be mindful of the double chance their fourth-place finish had ensured when picking the team and wouldn’t risk anyone not nearing full fitness.
“In a big final, I think every team has [played someone in doubt] at some stage and I’ve been involved with teams where we’ve done that and generally it doesn’t work,” he said.
“There’s no sense in ruining a player’s finals series by playing them in first week.
“There’s a player [Hayden Ballantyne] from Fremantle last week who’s now fractured his foot.
“You’ve got to be mindful of injuries and I think it’s case by case.”
Collingwood has its own injury concerns with Alan Didak (bruised shoulder) and Simon Prestigiacomo (corked thigh) still in doubt.
Eade said Prestigiacomo would add potency to the Magpies’ already-tight defence if he was able to come in after two weeks out.
“He’s a terrific player with finals experience, and they’ve obviously got some quality young lads that have played the last few weeks in [Ben] Reid and [Nathan] Brown,” he said.
“The Collingwood defence is a unit that works together well. Players like [Nick] Maxwell and [Harry] O’Brien give them chop outs as well.”
