Chris Scott wants supporters to embrace the "big-game" hype around Geelong's first meeting with Sydney since last year's grand final triumph.
The Cats will unfurl their 10th AFL/VFL premiership flag before Saturday night's encounter as they return to GMHBA Stadium for the first time this season.
But don't expect Scott, who tipped a high-pressure contest around the ball, to get carried away with the external noise.
"The fact that it happens to be a grand final 're-match' ... it adds a little bit of extra spice for (fans)," Scott said.
"But for us, we move pretty quickly to what (Sydney) are at the moment and that gets daunting pretty quickly.
"We'll be prepared for a good game."
After a shock 0-3 start, Geelong have steadied their season with comfortable wins over Hawthorn and West Coast.
Sydney present as a tougher opponent, albeit one missing some key players, with Lance Franklin, Dane Rampe, Joel Amartey, Tom McCartin and Paddy McCartin among those out injured.
Whether the grand final drubbing - an 81-point landslide in favour of Geelong - has left any mental scars on the Swans hasn't factored into Scott's preparation.
"I don't think it's good policy to think about the opposition too much in that way," Scott said.
"As a coach, I certainly don't hope at all ... but even if we were going perfectly we'd be acknowledging we've got to get us right before worrying too much about how they're going to approach it.
"But it's a mistake to go into any game thinking the opposition is going to be anything less than their best."
The absence of Rampe and the McCartin brothers has led Sydney to call up former Essendon swingman Aaron Francis, who will play his first game for the Swans.
Francis and his fellow defenders face the tough ask of trying to curtail in-form Cats forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins.
Hawkins started the campaign slowly after off-season foot surgery but has kicked six goals in the last two matches, sending an ominous warning to opponents.
"I still think there's room for improvement there, just by virtue of the fact that he didn't have much of a pre-season," Scott said.
"It'll take more than a month to have him perfect but I don't think it'll take much longer to get him pretty close to that.
"His feedback is that he feels like he's really building and is ready to play close to his best footy."
Geelong have recalled Jon Ceglar and former Swans speedster Gary Rohan in place of injured duo Rhys Stanley and Tyson Stengle.
