The 2023 AFL Grand Final presents a tantalising matchup between Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions, with both sides flexing their respective muscle in multiple areas of the ground.
There's talent galore through the backline, midfield, and forward sector, with plenty of individuals boasting the capability to tear the game apart.
As there are selection headaches due to potential forced changes on both sides of the ball, neither side is going into Saturday's decider with a clean bill of health.
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We've examined both squads to see who has the edge ahead of the big dance.
Which side will be best suited to hold up the opposing attack and rebound swiftly?
Collingwood has made a name for themselves with their ability to force dump-kicks to the waiting arms of the likes of key-position defenders Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy, before surging the ball back through the corridor with speed, skill, and numbers.
Moore, Murphy, and medium-sized backmen Jeremy Howe and Isaac Quaynor make up a quartet of interceptors who trust each other and work in tandem without relying on a saviour in the air.
Quaynor and hard nut Brayden Maynard also work as lockdown defenders on dangerous forwards, tall or small, with an emphasis on splitting one-on-one contests and feeding ball users going into attack.
These users include veteran ball-winner Scott Pendlebury, who rebounds with poise and skill, while the dashing Oleg Markov races out of defensive 50 with explosive power and intent.
Collingwood's midfielders also do a body of work helping their defenders clear the ball away from the goal face and getting the offence into gear.
Other options down back include forgotten rebounder John Noble, who plays a similar role to Quaynor, Will Hoskin-Elliot as another ball user, or Nick Daicos as the half-back roamer.
One of the proven ways to expose the Pies is to stem their corridor surge through the centre square and send the ball back while their defenders are pressing up the field in hopes of outnumbering the opposition at the contest.
Brisbane does not invest in their team defence to kickstart their attack in the same way Collingwood does, but they can still hurt any opposition with their back-line weapons.
On his day, dependable stopper Harris Andrews can keep just about any key forward scoreless while plucking anything that comes his way, but Brisbane relies largely on him.
As good as he may be, relying on any one individual can create a method of exploitation for the opposition, who may try to force Andrews up the ground and kick over his head, or go around him to potentially leave Jack Payne or Darcy Gardiner exposed on the last line.
The Lions still face uncertainty regarding the availability of Payne, who continues to recover from an ankle injury that kept him out of last Saturday's prelim final win over Carlton.
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Helping out in a versatile lockdown role is Brandon Starcevich, who has developed under Chris Fagan into one of the heralded defenders of the competition.
What the opposition doesn't want is the ball in the hands of the rebounding Keidean Coleman, who is capable of generating a score from a seemingly dead passage with a single kick from half-back.
Youngster Darcy Wilmot and Irish recruit Connor McKenna can also be dangerous on the run in a similar way to Collingwood's Markov, leaving Brisbane's backline capable, yet also potentially vulnerable.
Whether or not the Magpies can stem Coleman's kicking, Andrews' intercepting, and McKenna's dash will go a long way to determining if Collingwood triumphs on Saturday.
The defensive edge here probably goes to Collingwood.
Collingwood:
Brisbane:
The midfield is the engine room where most of the damage is done on game day, especially in finals where the contest battle lifts dramatically.
These two midfield groups work in very different ways.
Brisbane is the best stoppage team in the competition with their ability to create chances inside 50 with clean clearances out the front of a contest.
Collingwood, alternatively, is an average stoppage side that does their damage in live play when the opposition has lost their direct matchup.
Hence, it seems this will be a battle between systems more than personnel, though it's well worth looking at what either side is working with.
The Magpies are still very capable of inflicting stoppage damage with the likes of Jordan De Goey, Jack Crisp and Nick Daicos wreaking havoc through the middle.
That group, matched up with Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley and Hugh McCluggage, will be box office viewing from the first bounce, but it's hard to see who has the edge here.
The hit-out advantage goes to Brisbane's Oscar McInerney but this likely won't impact the final scoreboard. Magpies Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox are capable of holding their own around the ground, making for a relatively even split in that department.
It may come down to a battle of depth.
Tom Mitchell, Scott Pendlebury, and Pat Lipinski are all viable secondary options, but the unavailability of Taylor Adams may be the biggest factor in the game, let alone the midfield depth charts.
Without Adams, Brisbane arguably has the edge with Cam Rayner, Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey, Dayne Zorko, Jaspa Fletcher and Deven Robertson forming a plethora of backup options with a wide variety of skill sets and sizes.
Collingwood:
Brisbane:
This is where Brisbane must take advantage on Saturday; with their far superior array of forward-line talent, especially given Collingwood's forced team changes.
The injury to Dan McStay could be keeping Craig McRae up all night, every night in the lead-up to the weekend, wondering how to fill that key position hole.
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After Brody Mihocek, there isn't a recognised key forward on that sheet, with Mason Cox, Jeremy Howe and Will Hoskin-Elliot representing the potential replacements.
Jamie Elliot is the final marking option before the remaining spots are filled by Bobby Hill, Beau McCreery and Jack Ginnivan.
Of course, we must recognise how Collingwood operates as a collective without any real reliance on a key-post target, but once again, Brisbane looks far more dangerous on paper.
Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood, while perpetually criticised, have done their job for most of the year and will come into the final game of the year with an abundance of confidence.
Charlie Cameron is the best true small forward in the league and will essentially take a Collingwood defender out of the game with the job of halting him.
After that, the Lions are rounded out by the most damaging group of medium-sized pressure forwards in the competition.
Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey, Lincoln McCarthy and Callum Ah Chee are all hungry forwards who prey on opposition ball movement out of defensive 50 with intense heat and suffocating pressure.
The forward edge clearly goes to Brisbane.
Collingwood:
Brisbane: