IT WILL be a case of contrasting preparations when Melbourne heads to Perth to take on West Coast in Saturday's preliminary final.

The Demons have got there the long way: having secured their finals berth with a win over the Eagles in round 22, Simon Goodwin's men comfortably beat Geelong in the elimination final and ran out strong winners over Hawthorn in last week's semi-final. 

West Coast came from behind in their qualifying final win over Collingwood, surging to a 16-point win, a weekend off and a home game to progress to the Grand Final.  

KEY MATCH-UPS 

Max Gawn v Scott Lycett, Nathan Vardy
Melbourne's All Australian ruckman faces a different challenge this week than the previous two finals, when he has come up against a single ruck opponent. Gawn got the points over Geelong's Ryan Abbott and Hawk Ben McEvoy last week, but Lycett and Vardy are a strong duo. Gawn has dictated games from the ruck this year, and Lycett and Vardy will need to do better than their effort in round 22, when they combined for 35 hit-outs, 19 disposals and a goal to Gawn's solo game of 41 hit-outs and 20 disposals. 

James Harmes v Elliot Yeo
Yeo is West Coast's best midfielder and arguably the Eagles' best player as well. He is coming off a spectacular 36-disposal game in the qualifying final against Collingwood, and is a game-shaper: he is damaging with the ball whenever he has it. Harmes has nullified Joel Selwood and Tom Mitchell in the past two finals, but Yeo is a different task given his aerial exploits. Melbourne sent Harmes to Luke Shuey in their round 22 battle, but Yeo looks the most dangerous Eagle this time around.

Will Harmes get the job on Yeo? Picture: AFL Photos

Josh Kennedy v Oscar McDonald
Kennedy was noticeably rusty early in his side's qualifying final clash with the Magpies, but came into the game in an important final quarter when he booted a goal early in the term to get his side rolling. He'll be better for that game, and he was out with a leg injury when the sides last met. Dees defender Oscar McDonald often takes the forward who stays closer to goal and has proven this year his athleticism can help him against the competition's leading big forwards.  

How the Eagles can win…
Melbourne does have a vulnerability with its key defenders, particularly given the absence of Jake Lever and his intercept marking. It means Kennedy and Jack Darling will be pivotal to the result if they can get on top of McDonald and Sam Frost. The Eagles' sharp kicking out of defence lifted them against the Demons in round 22 after a slow start, and they will be keen to use the foot skills of Lewis Jetta and Shannon Hurn to get the ball out of the back half and avoid the Demons' having repeat entries. Melbourne will give its opposition a chance, and its transition defence has been a work in progress across the season, but it is far improved in the past month so the Eagles need to start well and avoid having to make ground like round 22. The crowd's influence can't be underestimated in the Eagles' bid for a victory, too. 

Darling and Kennedy could prove to be the difference. Picture: AFL Photos

How the Demons can win…
There's a few steps Melbourne will need to take to progress to their first Grand Final since 2000. Silencing the deafening Perth crowd would be a start, particularly after it helped lift the Eagles last game against the Magpies. The Demons' breadth of goalkickers will be a challenge for West Coast, particularly given they lose dependable backman Brad Sheppard to injury. The Demons have had five players kick more than 20 goals this year, while Christian Petracca has kicked 19 majors and looms as a hard match-up in the competition's highest-scoring side. Melbourne dominated West Coast in the clearances last time the sides met winning the count 43-29, so knows it has weapons to attack if it gets the midfield supply.