AFL great Leigh Matthews isn't surprised by how the Brisbane Lions and coach Chris Fagan turned their season around to reach the grand final.
But he is still getting his head around the joy of watching Fagan and his charges take Brisbane from the doldrums to consistent premiership contention.
Fagan dragged the Lions back from a 2-5 start to this season to a fifth-placed finish, then the long road to Saturday's decider against minor premiers Sydney.
Board member Matthews, who masterminded Brisbane's three-peat from 2001-2003, played down the effort required in this season's comeback and wouldn't be drawn on which team was best placed.
"The fact that they started the season slowly, then they won nine games straight to get themselves up towards the top of the ladder - any team that can string nine games together will usually end up around the action," Matthews said.
"The Swans were a bit the opposite - I guess they were great early and a little bit sluggish the last third of the season, still finished on top.
"But you get to this point of the season, it doesn't really matter."
Matthews will present the premiership cup if the Lions triumph on Saturday.
After finishing sixth in 2009, the Lions then entered the AFL doldrums, finishing 13th, 15th, 13th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 17th before Fagan was appointed at the end of 2016.
Though Brisbane claimed the wooden spoon in his first season, then finished 15th in 2018, the following campaign they bounced to second on the ladder - and haven't missed finals since.
"The premiership's the ultimate culmination, we know that," Matthews said.
"But the club dropped down the bottom of the ladder, which means everything goes to pieces.
"Greg Swann, when he became CEO a decade or so ago (in 2014), and then eventually Chris Fagan became coach, and a lot of other positions changed as well.
"So the club off the field and on the field has actually made their way back up into into being a good space and good spot, and part of that is the support base growth.
"A lot of good things have happened around the Lions football club over this last generation or so. It's great to be back up towards the top rather than peddling around near the bottom of the ladder."
The Lions, who arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday, trained behind closed doors at Punt Road Oval on Thursday morning.
Matthews expected Lions co-captain Lachie Neale to perform despite continuing to manage his lingering heel issue.
"Mind over matter a bit in grand finals, I reckon," he said.
"Players have played with things in grand finals that they wouldn't cope with, or want to cope with, for any other game but the last game of the year."
