The modes differ, a sudden Magpie swoop and a Lions stealth campaign.
The coaches of the AFL grand finalists, Collingwood and Brisbane, have used different methods to reach Saturday's premiership decider at the MCG.
The Magpies have come from the proverbial clouds in two eye-catching seasons under Craig McRae, whose fresh creation is swiftly turning rags to riches.
While Brisbane's Chris Fagan - for seven long years, some of them painstaking - has been meticulously planning this masterpiece, now on the cusp of completion.
The 62-year-old Fagan started the season against the backdrop of racism allegations at Hawthorn. The Tasmanian could finish it as the first AFL premiership coach never to play a VFL/AFL game.
Meanwhile Magpie McRae, a triple premiership hero as a player at Brisbane, could capture Collingwood a 16th flag, to equal Carlton and Essendon with the most VFL/AFL premierships.
McRae's Maggies topped the home-and-away rounds with an 18-5 record then prevailed in two tense finals - a seven-point qualifying win over Melbourne; a one-point preliminary final thriller against GWS.
And McRae's mob have a grand final advantage: their home, the MCG.
Brisbane's Fagan hopes the curious ticket spread dilutes Collingwood's home support in the 100,000-strong crowd - members of competing clubs are both given 17,000 tickets.
"The grand final crowd is a different crowd from the normal crowd, a lot of people with different allegiances," Fagan said.
"What I'm hoping is those that don't barrack for Collingwood get on the Lions bandwagon and barrack for us."
The Lions' wagon hasn't had to leave Brisbane since returning home after beating the Pies by 24 points on August 18 at Marvel Stadium in round 23.
Brisbane also eclipsed Collingwood by 33 points in a round-four clash.
Fagan's outfit (17-6) took second spot by percentage from Port Adelaide, who they thrashed by 48 points in a qualifying final, before coming from five goals down to defeat Carlton by 16 in a preliminary.
The Lions feasted on home plains but there's a recent trend of famine for non-Victorian teams at the 'G in grand finals.
Sydney were thrashed by 81 points by Geelong last year; GWS fell by 89 points to Richmond in 2019; Adelaide lost by 48 points to the Tigers in 2017.
That stretch is punctuated by West Coast's 2018 premiership when a late Dom Sheed goal sunk Collingwood by five points in the Magpies'most recent grand final.
The Lions' last grand final was the end of the glory days: a 2004 defeat to Port followed the famed triple premiership treats of 2001-03.
Now, Brisbane return to the grand stage after two losing preliminary finals, and two semi-final exits, in the past four years.
Fagan has a settled side and while McRae has lost key forward Dan McStay (knee), both coaches will lean heavily on their blue-chip midfields.
Jordan De Goey is Collingwood's game-breaker, veterans Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebery remain architects; Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell adds great grunt to Jack Crisp's pack work.
The Magpies' brigade is headlined by the brilliant Nick Daicos, the likely Brownlow medallist if he didn't miss the last three games through injury.
Daicos will cross paths with the man who did win the Brownlow, Lachie Neale.
In rare air as a dual Brownlow winner, Neale is the ace in a Brisbane midfield boasting battle-hardened Josh Dunkley, Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry.
Both clubs brandish attacking weapons: Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher lead Brisbane's formidable forwards while Brody Mihocek, Jamie Elliott and Bobby Hill are Magpie mainstays.
And both clubs have exemplary defensive pillars: Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews.
Moore's father Peter was Magpie captain in a 1981 grand final loss to Carlton - he will hand the cup to his son, should Collingwood salute.
And Andrews is a bridge between the Lions' past and present: born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, he moved to Brisbane aged four.
