The resurgent Demons are one of the form sides of the competition, but Bailey is wary of taking his eye off the ball with a clash against the equally in-form Tigers looming.
"I don’t think I give myself one second [to think about finals] to be honest," Bailey said from AAMI Park on Friday.
"You just can't afford to because you then take your eyes off what's important, which is now, then tomorrow’s training and then the game.
"We haven't discussed the mathematical possibility. We've got a real clear focus that if we win enough games that will be where we finish.
"It will be the result of how many games we've won and we've got one ahead of us, which is a real opportunity to get another [win]. Then we'll look forward to the following week."
Brent Moloney went straight into the side when the 25-man squad was picked on Thursday, with Bailey forecasting one or two more changes at Friday's final team announcement.
Richmond has followed a similar path to the Dees this year in showing some encouraging signs after a rough start, making this clash an intriguing one. The youthful Tigers are a difficult proposition once they get their tails up and Bailey is keen to bounce out of the blocks well at the MCG on Sunday.
“Our starts have been better in the recent month, but Richmond are a side you have to take your opportunities against and get on the front foot from the start,” he said.
“That will be the real challenge early to make sure that we’re on the front foot and we’ve got some scoreboard pressure on them.
“They can play some pretty good footy and they’ve got a really exciting forward in Riewoldt ... I think they’ve got a developing midfield that, in the next couple of years, will be one of the premier midfields.
“We’ll certainly have our work cut out for us.”
Bailey had no issues with the Gabba surface, which has drawn criticism for its hardness. The coach admitted his players had pulled up a little sore from last week's win, but maintained that was more to do with the time of the season than the ground.
The Demons go into the match warm favourites, which Bailey said was a reflection of the development the playing group had achieved this season.
“There’s a lot of pressure for spots and when you create that environment it means players have got to be on their toes,” he said.
“They’ve got to be consistently playing well to maintain their position or it will be up for grabs because we’ve got some blokes who are in pretty good form in the VFL. It’s a good situation to be in and that needs to turn into consistent performances on the weekend.”
