Geelong and Brisbane know a thing or two about Grand Finals, and thanks to their qualifying final a few weeks ago, they're also very familiar with each other.
The Cats prevailed in that encounter, with players such as Jeremy Cameron, Oisin Mullin and Mark O'Connor pivotal to their success.
But the exciting thing about their upcoming rematch is that both sets of coaches will have hopefully learnt a few things from their earlier clash this September.
The Sporting News looks at which matchups will define the 2025 Grand Final.
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Oisin Mullin vs. Hugh McLuggage
Aside from the fallout of the Lachie Neale injury, Oisin Mullin's job on Hugh McLuggage was the major talking point of the qualifying final. With Mullin on his tail, the All-Australian McLuggage had his fewest disposals in a game since round one 2023 with 14.
The key for McLuggage is how he starts. In the first quarter three weeks ago he had just one disposal, which set the tone for his night as a whole. But in the prelim a fortnight later against Collingwood, he made Steele Sidebottom, who had supposedly been sent to him, look silly, with nine first-quarter disposals, en route to 37 overall.
Of course, for as great a player as Sidebottom is, he doesn't hold a candle to Mullin as a tagger. In round 21 against Port Adelaide, Mullin held Zak Butters to just 10 disposals, helping the Cats to an 88-point victory.
Despite his poor performance in the qualifying final and some fitness concerns, McLuggage has bounced back since his last meeting with Mullin, being arguably Brisbane's best player in both their semi and preliminary final wins. Although, those two outings will have only reinforced why Chris Scott will be wanting to keep him as quiet as possible on Saturday, and Mullin is his best chance at that.
Mark O'Connor vs. Cam Rayner
It was a tale of two halves between these two in the qualifying final. Both took turns getting under each other's skin. O'Connor had registered Rayner pretty much invisible for almost all of the first half, before two controversial free kicks gifted Rayner two goals.
But it seemed that was all Rayner needed to get going, as he after just three first-half disposals, he would find the ball 10 times in the second half, including another goal and three marks.
The former number one pick is coming off a similar performance in the preliminary final, not having a kick in the first half before another massive third quarter (two goals, two marks) helped propel his side into a third straight Grand Final.
All that to say, he's someone Chris Scott will likely want to concentrate on again in the decider, because when he gets going, he's hard to stop. Although he ended up alright in the qualifying final, O'Connor has shown he can beat him, and is likely who is to await Rayner on Saturday.
Jeremy Cameron vs. Darcy Gardiner
For the first 30 minutes of the qualifying final, it seemed like Jeremy Cameron reaching 100 goals might not be completely out of the question. In the first quarter, matched up against Ryan Lester, Cameron was the best player on the field, booting two goals from five scoring shots, and taking five marks (four inside-50).
Chris Fagan fixed the matchup at the first huddle, sending Darcy Gardiner to him from there on and almost shutting the Coleman medallist out of the contest completely. Cameron wouldn't touch the scoreboard once after quarter time, and would only add six disposals and two marks to the stat sheet.
Historically, Lester has been Fagan's preferred matchup for Cameron over the years. But, after the two sides' last encounter, he would be a brave man to send the veteran defender back to the All-Australian captain.
Gardiner has gone onto have a strong, unheralded finals campaign, playing an important role on Brody Mihocek in the preliminary final, keeping him goalless and basically invisible. Coming into the decider in strong form, he's the clear choice to head to Jezza.
Shannon Neale vs. Harris Andrews
Harris Andrews didn't leave the MCG more than a fortnight ago with a win in his back pocket, but he did find Shannon Neale in there.
Neale has not had great success against the Lions so far in his career, managing just two goals from four encounters. While he did register a major in the qualifying final, it was arguably his worst performance against Chris Fagan's side to date, with Andrews a big reason why.
For a Lions' defence that was under constant siege, the Brisbane co-captain stood tall, leading the game in spoils with seven, as well as taking a number of intercept marks, all while keeping Neale quiet. Neale was non-existent until the final term, accumulating just three disposals without taking a mark or kicking a goal in the first three quarters, before making a brief cameo in the final 30 minutes when the game was all but over.
Andrews has been a wrecking ball in the 2025 finals series, crucial in both the Lions' finals wins against Gold Coast and Collingwood. If he is once again able to flex his intercepting prowess, while also locking Neale out of the contest, then the Cats will struggle to stop the Lions from going back-to-back.
Mark Blicavs vs. Lachie Neale
Lachie Neale looks set to do the impossible, and return from a calf injury at least 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule. But he may need a miracle if he's to play anywhere near his best.
Neale will enter the Grand Final already playing hurt, with the risk of reaggravating or exacerbating his injury enormous. Whether or not he plays a full game or starts as the sub remains to be seen, but that might not even be his biggest obstacle. Because make no mistake, once he does enter the field, Geelong will not be taking it easy on the 32-year-old.
Neale was one of the Lions' only threatening players in the qualifying final against the Cats, racking up 32 disposals and nine marks despite the heavy defeat. Geelong swingman Mark Blicavs was pre-occupied with ruck duties that night, but with veteran Rhys Stanley set to return from injury, Cats coach Chris Scott need a new role for Blicavs, and watching over Neale might just be the task he sets for him.
One of the most versatile athletes in the modern era, Blicavs defies the traditional mould of players 198cm and taller, with his ability to play all over the ground, including midfield. He has become a weapon in Scott's arsenal, capable of running with some of the game's elite on-ballers, doing jobs on stars such as Scott Pendlebury over the years.
Even at 34-years-old, he's showed no sign of age, with Scott continually trusting the utility to star in many different roles for the Cats. And triple premiership captain Luke Hodge believes Blicavs should be trusted with taking Neale on Saturday.
"If I was Geelong, the competitive side of me, I would attack him (Neale). I'd bring in Stanley as a ruck, and I would send Blicavs straight to him," Hodge said on The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night.
"I think it was his right calf [that] was the sore one, I would be getting him to stand on the left side of Lachie Neale, and push him onto that right calf every stoppage I can. As soon as that ball goes up, I'm tearing hard forward to see if he can push."
So versatile is Blicavs though, that the orders Scott sets for him is anyone's guess. It's possible he does a job on Neale, but it's equally likely he could be sent forward to try and hold Harris Andrews accountable. Or is he the replacement down back for Tom Stewart?