THE WESTERN Bulldogs have made a habit of overcoming the odds this season and they will have to defy vastly inferior MCG and finals experience to win the Grand Final against the Sydney Swans.

The Swans' selected 22 - bolstered by the return of veteran co-captain Jarrad McVeigh - have each played an average of nearly 19 games at the MCG.

That's almost double the amount of the hometown Dogs, who average about 10 matches per player at the famous venue.

Mega-preview: Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs

Only former Bulldogs skipper Matthew Boyd (48), veteran defender Dale Morris (37), finals hero Liam Picken (22) and acting captain Easton Wood (11) have played at the 'G more than 10 times.

But there are 12 Swans who have made at least a dozen appearances at the football mecca, led by Lance Franklin who will play his 100th match at his former home ground this Saturday.

This will also be the superstar forward's fifth Grand Final - the most of any player on the ground.

Thirteen Swans have played in a Grand Final before, with eight of them already premiership players.

The Bulldogs won't have a single player with Grand Final experience after two-time Hawthorn premiership player Matthew Suckling failed to force his way back from Achilles soreness.

Teams: Grand Final full line-ups

It's the first time since St Kilda in 1997 that a team will feature in a season-decider without any players previously going to the big dance.

In terms of overall finals experience, the Swans collectively have played in more than double the September contests than their youthful opponents (238 finals to 107).

The Dogs will also be on average more than a year younger and have 30 career games experience less per player this Saturday.

It's a testament to second-year coach Luke Beveridge that his youthful outfit has come so far so quickly.

But they will have at least one stat on their side heading into the Grand Final.

The Dogs have won all three of their games at the MCG this year, while the Swans have won two and lost one by a point after the siren against Richmond in round eight.

How they stack up in experience