Geelong coach Chris Scott believes Hawthorn are "quite complete," insisting the Hawks aren't solely reliant on red-hot midfielder Jai Newcombe.
A former mid-season draft selection, Newcombe is creating a giant legacy as a finals performer.
In four career finals, the 24-year-old has been the highest-rated player on the ground and will loom large in Friday night's preliminary final showdown at the MCG.
Geelong successfully shut down Brisbane Lions midfield maestro Hugh McCluggage in the Cats' qualifying final win two weeks ago.
Irishman Oisin Mullin appears likely to again be tasked with tagging duties after dominating McCluggage.
"When you're at this time of year against the best teams, they've all got good midfields," Scott said on Thursday.
"Whoever the bottom four couple of teams are, they've got stars in there as well.
"Jai's part of that for them (Hawthorn), but he's not the whole picture.
"I look at them in the way they've evolved, and they're quite complete.
"A lot of teams are realising, if you just rely on one or two players and they get shut down, you're in big trouble.
"I don't think the Hawks are in that category, but you'd have to be not watching to think Newcombe's been good for them."
This clash will be the first time Geelong and Hawthorn have faced off in a sudden-death final since the Hawks famously reeled in a 20-point three-quarter-time deficit to progress to the 2013 decider.
The rivals played in qualifying finals in 2014 and 2016, splitting those encounters.
It will be the ninth final between Geelong and Hawthorn in the last 36 years, dating back to the epic 1989 decider.
As a coach Scott tries to play down player rivalries, but acknowledges the heat between the teams is real.
"I reckon the fans should be completely out of their skin when it comes to this game," he said.
"You could hardly script it better.
"I would just feel inauthentic for me to say 'hey boys, try a bit hard this week because it's the Hawks'."
