Hawthorn great Luke Hodge is urging Adelaide players to keep their emotions in check tomorrow night, when they take on Collingwood in what could be a spiteful qualifying final at Adelaide Oval.
Hostilities between the two sides have continued to grow since their epic round 23 encounter, which saw Crows star forward Izak Rankine suspended for four matches for using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood player.
The suspension has the potential to be season-ending for Rankine should the Crows win tomorrow night, with many of the club's supporters blaming Collingwood for the 25-year-old's ban.
While heightened tension is expected in the stands tomorrow night, Hodge has warned Adelaide to not let their emotions get the better of them and is challenging Crows skipper Jordan Dawson to lead from the front.
MORE: Izak Rankine could be barred from Adelaide Oval despite homophobic slur apology
"He (Dawson) can't build it up too much," Hodge said on SEN Melbourne.
"You know the supporters are gonna hate Collingwood...they are going to look at the Collingwood players and supporters and they're going to blame Collingwood. That's their mindset, it's their fault, they dobbed on him (Rankine).
"For Dawson he has to block all that out. He has to block all this messaging out from his players and say this is just another game, we've been the best team all year."
The triple-premiership captain also believes Dawson will need to strike the right balance with the playing group, if they are to advance to their first preliminary final since 2017.
"You've got to get them on edge enough to be ready for what Collingwood are gonna throw at you," he said.
"But they can't be over-enthusiastic, they can't go and have a rush of blood, they can't be selfish.
"Stick to what got you there by being a good, selfless, team first football side, and that's what he'll be trying to pass on to his players."
Tomorrow night's clash will be the first time Adelaide and Collingwood have met in the finals since their memorable semi-final matchup in 2009, when the Magpies claimed a five-point win at the MCG after Jack Anthony booted the match-winning goal inside the final minute.