THE PRELIMINARY final victories of Geelong and Sydney last weekend could not have been any more contrasting.

The Cats cruised past Brisbane by a whopping 71 points, with the match effectively over partway through the third quarter, while the Swans were forced to scrap until literally the final second as they held off Collingwood by a single point.

So will the Cats be fresh and ready to fire on Saturday, or will their win over the Lions leave them short of match practice? Will the Swans be primed to go again, or did the win against the Pies take too much out of them?

GRAND FINAL MEGA-PREVIEW Cats v Swans, stats that matter, who wins and why

We've taken a look back at instances of contrasting preliminary final wins this century, and what it meant for the Grand Final that followed.

We've restricted our search to seasons since 2000, when the current AFL finals system began. But it's worth noting that in the AFL era, Carlton (in 1999), Sydney (in 1996) and Geelong (in 1994) all won prelim finals by a goal or less before losing the Grand Final to teams who had won their prelim by more than six goals.

2016
First prelim final: Western Bulldogs beat GWS by six points
Second prelim final: Sydney beat Geelong by 37 points
Grand Final: Western Bulldogs beat Sydney by 22 points

The 37-point victory margin Sydney achieved over Geelong in the 2016 preliminary final doesn't tell the full story, with the match all but over at quarter-time after the Swans kicked seven goals to none in a staggering first-quarter blitz. A day later, the Bulldogs surged to a famous six-point win over the Giants in a tough, low-scoring encounter that secured their first Grand Final appearance since 1961.

Despite their bruising prelim win, it was the Bulldogs who finished stronger on Grand Final day as they celebrated a memorable premiership. Trailing at half-time, the Dogs held an eight-point lead at three-quarter time and kicked four goals to two in the final term to win by 22 points, riding a wave of momentum and emotion to their first flag in 62 years.

2014
First prelim final: Sydney beat North Melbourne by 71 points
Second prelim final: Hawthorn beat Port Adelaide by three points
Grand Final: Hawthorn beat Sydney by 63 points

Sydney breezed into its second Grand Final in three years with a thumping win over North Melbourne as key forwards Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett kicked nine goals between them. The minor premiers then sat back and watched Hawthorn and Port Adelaide play out one of the games of the season, with the defending premiers holding off a late Port surge to win by three points in a thrilling affair at the MCG.

The Hawks then carried that momentum into the following week, jumping the Swans in the Grand Final and storming to a 63-point win. An 11-goal opening half all but killed the contest by the main break, despite Franklin kicking four goals against his former club.

2011
First prelim final: Collingwood beat Hawthorn by three points
Second prelim final: Geelong beat West Coast by 48 points
Grand Final: Geelong beat Collingwood by 38 points

Having trailed by 17 points at the final change, Collingwood sealed a stirring come-from-behind win over Hawthorn thanks to a late goal from Luke Ball in one of the best preliminary finals this century. The following day, Geelong thrashed West Coast by 38 points, with a seven-goal third quarter effectively ending the contest before the final term, allowing the Cats to cruise through the final stages of the game.

A week later, it was the fresher Cats who finished the strongest in the Grand Final, kicking five goals to none in the final term to overcome a three-point half-time deficit and seal the premiership in Chris Scott's first year as Geelong coach.

2009
First prelim final: St Kilda beat Western Bulldogs by seven points
Second prelim final: Geelong beat Collingwood by 73 points
Grand Final: Geelong beat St Kilda by 12 points

St Kilda secured its first Grand Final appearance in 12 years thanks to two late goals from skipper Nick Riewoldt, who sealed the win against the Western Bulldogs in the final minutes of the match. The Cats had a much easier time in their preliminary final against Collingwood; after the margin had been just 11 points at half time, Geelong kicked 10 goals to one in the second half, cruising to victory in the final term.

And it was Geelong who finished stronger a week later in a memorable Grand Final win, best remembered for Matthew Scarlett's famous toe-poke when the game was on the line with just minutes remaining. The Cats kicked 3.4 to 0.3 in the final quarter to win by 12 points and extend St Kilda's premiership drought.

2007
First prelim final: Geelong v Collingwood by five points
Second prelim final: Port Adelaide v North Melbourne by 87 points
Grand Final: Geelong beat Port Adelaide by 119 points

An epic clash at the MCG in front of more than 98,000 people saw Geelong reach its first Grand Final since 1995 in a thriller against Collingwood. Paul Medhurst's goal with less than a minute to go brought the Pies to within a kick, but the Cats held on in what was Nathan Buckley's final game. In contrast, Port Adelaide breezed into the season decider by storming past North Melbourne, ending the match as a contest by kicking eight goals to one in the third term.

A week later, however, it was Geelong who looked to be the fresher team as they marched to the biggest victory margin in Grand Final history. The Cats kicked 11 goals in the first half and the match was essentially a victory lap from then onwards.

2001
First prelim final: Essendon beat Hawthorn by nine points
Second prelim final: Brisbane beat Richmond by 48 points
Grand Final: Brisbane beat Essendon by 26 points

In a low-scoring thriller between two of footy's fiercest rivals, Essendon grabbed an early lead before Hawthorn fought their way back into the game, closing the margin to just two points in the final term. The defending premiers ultimately kicked away late to win by nine points before, later that night, Brisbane had a much easier time of things, beating Richmond by 48 points.

A week later, Essendon again jumped out the blocks and led by 14 points at half-time to have back-to-back premierships within reached. But the Lions finished much stronger, kicking 10 goals to four in the second half to win the first of their three consecutive flags.