WHILE Hawthorn has said all week it will treat the grand final as just another game, the club’s most experienced player admits it is hard to contain the butterflies.

Shane Crawford plays his 305th AFL game and his first grand final against the Cats on Saturday.

Before he set out on the 2008 AFL Grand Final Parade through the streets of Melbourne on Friday, the former Hawthorn skipper admitted the nerves were kicking in.

“The last couple of days it has hit home. We’ve tried to keep it as normal as possible. You get a lot of good wishes from friends and family. The last two days it is starting to hit home how big it is and how lucky we are to be a part of it,” he said.

Crawford rode in the parade with son Charlie on his lap and a tiny Elmo backpack to keep him amused (Charlie that is, not Shane). The veteran said he had done pretty well not to get too nervous in preparation for the biggest game of his career.

“I’m trying to be pretty level-headed about it at the moment. I’m sure once the parade goes, tomorrow morning I will be as nervous as I’ve ever been," he said.

"It’s probably harder for friends and family because they have no control over what goes on, whereas we as players can get out and have some kind of input,” he said.

Much of the press attention has centred on Crawford’s first grand final appearance this week and as the media throng gathered around the Hawthorn veteran, the passing Cameron Mooney was heard to remark; 'It’s all about you Crawf'.

But Crawford has always been more than comfortable in the media spotlight and is far from overwhelmed by the extra attention he has received this week.

“How can’t you get excited? We’re playing in a grand final. I probably didn’t expect it a few years ago. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play for. This is as good as it gets,” he said.

Crawford maintains he has not thought about his future beyond Saturday’s game but says the long wait for his first grand final appearance had been worth it.

“As you get older you appreciate it a bit more," he said.

"When you start off you always think it’s going to go forever but as you get older you realise how lucky you are to do what we do.

"We’re all just going along for the ride and trying to enjoy ourselves and hopefully winning a lot of games as we go on.