FIRST-YEAR Collingwood player Alex Fasolo has praised the "gutsy" decision by teammate Dayne Beams to pull himself out of Saturday's Grand Final against Geelong.

Fasolo will play on Saturday as a result of Beams' omission, after he pulled up with a sore groin following Friday night's preliminary final against the Hawks.

"We had a good chat this morning and he's holding his head high. He's disappointed to miss out but he's doing well," Fasolo said of Beams as he took part in Friday's Grand Final parade.

"He did the team thing and I feel massive empathy towards him. I wouldn't have a clue how he's feeling right now.

"I imagine it wouldn't be easy for him but he's made the call and it would have to be a really tough one to make.

"He obviously came to a crossroads and thought, 'If I can't run out four quarters I shouldn't be out there', and it was a very gutsy thing to do, go and approach Mick and tell him where he was at."

The 19-year-old from Perth said he trailed coach Mick Malthouse all week as he tried to find out if he was in the selection committee's plans.

He was made to wait until Wednesday before Malthouse broke the news he was playing, after it was revealed Beams was sore in what came as a "massive surprise" to the players.

Fasolo called his parents, Joe and Bev, first, and then spoke to his older siblings - brother Lewis and sister Anna - before phoning a few mates.

His family will be in attendance on Saturday, something he's rapt about given "a bit of a Fasolo turnout would be good."

Fasolo said he'd drawn on the experience of former St Kilda defender and part-time defensive coach Max Hudghton - who played in a Grand Final in only his 17th game - in preparation for this weekend.

"Hopefully I won't sleep too bad. Finding out on Wednesday, I had a couple of sleepless nights but now I'm really excited," he said.

"[Hudghton] told me how he dealt with it and obviously there's the cliché, 'It's just another game', but let's be honest, it's probably not.

"It's really exciting and he gave me a bit of insight and I'm really confident and it should be a good day."

Fasolo also took time to speak to former Pie Simon Prestigiacomo, whose guernsey he wears as part of the club's policy to award the 233-game defender's No.35 to the first draft selection every year.

Prestigiacomo famously pulled himself out of last year's Grand Final draw against St Kilda because of groin soreness, and instigated what Fasolo said was a selfless culture at the club.

"I'm lucky enough to chat to 'Presti' a fair bit, he's around the club working in certain areas, and he's a great team man with what he did last year," Fasolo said.

"I'm honoured to wear his jumper in a Grand Final. I had to keep [the selection] low key but I slipped it to him and let him know and he was pretty stoked for me."

Fasolo's role on Saturday hasn't been defined yet, but he said he would be happy to do anything required of him; even start the game as a substitute.

"I know I'm in the 22, I'm not sure if I'm in the 21, but I'll take anything. I'll wear a green vest if I have to," he said.

"I'm not too concerned wearing the green vest. I've played I think three times [as the sub] this year and each time I've come on and been able to contribute.

"I'm not too worried about that. I'm feeling very fresh, I'm ready to go."

Jennifer Witham covers Collingwood news for the AFL Website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.