The stakes are enormous in the re-match of last year’s grand final with the winner to enjoy a week off and direct passage to an MCG preliminary final.
But even more significant is the fact the loser will probably end up attempting to qualify for the grand final via the daunting route of tackling minor premiers Port Adelaide in Adelaide in the other preliminary final.
Certainly the significance of Saturday night’s blockbuster final at the MCG has not been lost on Buckley as the Pies began their preparations with a light training run at Melbourne’s Xavier College on Monday.
“We need to beat Brisbane full stop to win a premiership,” Buckley said on Monday.
“Our premiership aspirations are on the line (on Saturday night), no doubt about it.”
The Lions are aiming to become the first team in 46 years to win three successive premierships and gave the up and coming Magpies a reminder they are still the team to beat in September with a 39 point mauling at the MCG just a month ago.
But Buckley said the Magpies can hardly wait to show the Lions they have learned the lessons dealt to them back in early August.
“They are a quality side and they showed us last month what level we had to get to this year to be a (premiership) chance,’ he said.
“But I think we have learned a lot out of that and the last three games we have played a different brand of football and a better brand of football.’
“Now we look forward to testing them on Saturday night.”
While the Lions go into this year’s finals campaign in worse shape than the past two years – when they finished in second place on the ladder and began their finals campaign at the Gabba – with injuries already ruling out key players Beau McDonald, Aaron Shattock and Brad Scott – the Pies of 2003 look a more awesome unit than the 2002 version which reached the grand final.
Not only are the Pies injury-free ahead of the finals – with full-back Shane Wakelin expected to recover from a corked calf and another key defender Simon Prestigiacomo likely to return from a knee injury – but they have finished the season in second place after steamrolling fellow finalists Adelaide, Sydney and Essendon in their last three home and away games.
However Buckley said the Pies’ 15-7 win/loss record over the home and away season now counted for little.
“We’ve learned from the finals last year (when the Magpies limped into fourth place with three losses in four games before shocking Port in Adelaide in the qualifying final to eventually make the grand final) that momentum is a week to week thing,” he said.
“It’s how you prepare yourself this week and how you play this week against a side that is used to playing finals that counts.”
“We might be better placed now and won a couple of more games than this time last year but we have got to wipe the slate clean and concentrate on our next opponent.”
“And they are reigning premiers, you can’t get any greater challenge than that, so we are under no illusions as to where we are at.”
