Sydney Derby, the finals edition

The official term is Sydney Derby XI, but this weekend's all-Sydney showdown will have a different flavour to the previous 10 given what's at stake - a sought after one-way ticket to a Preliminary Final.

The Sydney Swans, heading into their seventh consecutive finals series, will come up against September's newcomers in the GWS Giants.

It will be the Giants' first taste of finals footy, meaning a Sydney Derby has never had more on the line, with both sides primed for a genuine crack at the flag.

The Giants' first ever game for premiership points was momentous, yes, but the time has now come where they're in contention for the competition's ultimate prize so what's done is done.

No doubt they'll be putting sentiment aside in favour of a red-hot go at upsetting the minor premiers.

Putting the rivalry aside for the moment, never has this city seen a bigger game of AFL. While plenty of finals have been won and lost in this league-dominated state of ours, none have featured two Sydney-based teams.

As coach John Longmire said on Monday: "As someone who grew up in NSW, to see a game like this is really exciting for this competition."

Last time they met

Not a lot went right for the Sydney Swans in Sydney Derby X.

They lost almost every statistic in the Round 12 encounter at Spotless Stadium, except for the tackle count and that's mainly because they were led to the footy for most of the match.

The Giants' midfielders were on song, while salt was also rubbed in the wounds after Kurt Tippett went down with that injured hamstring tendon and missed the next eight weeks.

A lot of football has been played since that afternoon. Sydney has enjoyed a strong run of form, winning eight of their past 10 games to go in poised, while Tippett is back to boost both the Swans' ruck and forwards stocks.

One-on-one, the Swans boast a strong record against their cross-town rivals having won eight of the past 10 encounters including all three at ANZ Stadium.

Lance Franklinn and teammates look on GWS accept the White Ribbon Cup in Round 12.

A farewell to ANZ Stadium

A lot of talk has surrounded exactly who will adapt better to ANZ Stadium, a ground where no AFL has been played since last year's semi-final.

Both sides have trained at the venue this week but, according to assistant coach Brett Kirk, the Swans should have no issue readjusting.

If experience counts for something, GWS stopped playing at the venue back in 2013 while for Sydney, going by its Round 23 side, only five players haven't played there in any official capacity.

Meanwhile, Saturday's final will officially be the Sydney Swans' last match at ANZ Stadium with all subsequent home matches (regular season and finals) to be played at the SCG.

It has been a genuine home away from home for the red and white, having won eight of 10 finals matches since they started playing at the ground in 2002.

Michael O'Loughlin thanks the crowd following the 2006 Preliminary Final win against Fremantle at ANZ Stadium.

Selection

It would be one of the hardest jobs as a senior coach, omitting a player ahead of a final, but that job will lie with John Longmire if the Sydney Swans match committee decides to make a change.

With Callum Mills fit, a change looks highly likely, the only question is who'll come out for this Rising Star?

It will be a difficult decision to make considering the strength of the side at the moment.

And, of course, there's no forgetting the likes of Ted Richards and Jeremy Laidler who have played with the NEAFL Swans in the past few weeks as they fight for a senior recall.

A grand final awaits the NEAFL Swans this weekend so, if they're not selected for the seniors, Richards and Laidler will have one more game to impress otherwise face an even tougher task breaking into the AFL side.

Callum Mills with his Rising Star Award earlier this week.

AJ

Not lost in all the talk around finals was Alex Johnson's return to the training track on Wednesday.

The luckless premiership defender ran a lap of the SCG for the first time in nearly three years - 906 days to be exact - giving the playing group extra inspiration ahead of Saturday's final.

Watched and cheered on by teammates and staff, the 24-year-old ran a series of times laps, the smile on his face increased in size and width after every one.

He's had a wretched run since first rupturing his ACL during a pre-season game in 2013. After re-rupturing his knee the following pre-season, Johnson has undergone five reconstructions in total, the latest in June, plus countless other procedures to fix infections and complications which have hampered progress.

Wednesday's session, albeit small, marked a significant step on what Johnson hopes is the most direct path back to senior football.

Josh Kennedy congratulates Alex Johnson after Wednesday's session.