The best week on the football calendar is finally upon us and, here at ESPN, we've taken a forensic look at the Sydney and Western Bulldogs teams, and their form this season, to bring you the Grand Final Power Rankings.
Perhaps surprisingly, it's the underdogs from Melbourne's west who edge the minor premiers in our rankings.
While the Swans hold the advantage over the Dogs in the 'on-field' categories -- boasting a superior backline, deeper and more experienced midfield and more potent forward line -- it's the Bulldogs who have the 'intangibles' on their side.
The Sons of the West are not only undefeated at the MCG this year, they have also beaten the Swans in both matches from the last two years (both up in Sydney). And, of course, they will have at their backs a surge of support from just about every neutral footy fan in the country.
So who wins the day? Does the superior side on paper get it done, or does the wave of momentum and perhaps a slight mental edge work in favour of the Dogs? We've scored it 85-84 the Bulldogs' way.
Legend:
Defence: The higher the number, the better the team's defence.
Attack: The higher the number, the better the team's attack.
Midfield: The higher the number, the better the team's midfield.
Ruck: The higher the number, the better the team's ruck.
X-Factor: The number and quality of genuine match-winning players.
Recent form: The higher the number, the better the team has performed in the last three weeks.
Vs. each other: The higher the number, the better the team has performed against their opposition from their last three matches.
Vs. top 8: The higher the number, the better the team has performed against other top eight sides in season 2016.
At the MCG: The higher the number, the better the team has performed at the MCG this year.
Finals experience: The higher the number, the more experienced a team is in a finals matches played.