Dean Cox and Justin Longmuir played on each other plenty of times as combatants in Western Derbies, but come this Thursday night, they will do battle from their coaches' boxes.
In 12 outings against one other as players, Cox held sway, winning eight of the clashes. That dominance has transferred into coaching, with the former Eagle 2-0 against Longmuir in that pursuit, too.
Their two sides have been the runaway top two since the home and away season started, and with five losses between them from 32 matches this season, Thursday night's clash shapes as a clash of titans, the likes of which the game has not seen for some time.
In preparation for the blockbuster, the two men spoke to Fox Footy's AFL360 program on Monday night, with Longmuir doing little to downplay the game's magnitude.
"There's a buzz around us at the moment, with the way we're going, and where we sit on the ladder," Longmuir said.
"It's a great game, it's a great opportunity this weekend, against a great side. They're a team that's been in really good form, they play a really good system, and they've traveled really well to Perth in the past.
"Our form on Thursday nights - we've had a lot more opportunities this year with Thursday and Friday night footy - we've been able to rise to the occasion. There's no bigger challenge than Sydney, and hopefully we can rise to the occasion again."
Cox was equally as effusive in his praise of the side the competition is chasing.
"I think if you look at all the metrics across the full season - whether it be around the contest, clearance, whether it be their metres gained from turnover or intercepts, their scores per inside 50. You can speak for a while about their strengths as a football club. The reason they're sitting in the position where they are is because of the balance in all the phases that they do have," Cox said.
"We're under no illusion - this is a really tough ask, but one that we're really looking forward to."
The battle between unique ruckmen Luke Jackson and Brodie Grundy is sure to go a long way to determining a victor on the night, and both coaches praised their versatile talls.
"What sets those two apart is not only their ruck craft - which is strong - but the work they both do after the ruck contest. They both tend to impact at ground level, and get involved at ground level. Both can get forward and have impact. In essence, after the ruck work, they're both extra midfielders," Longmuir said
"What he's (Jackson) doing at ground level is just as important, to add an extra dimension to their midfield group, and it has been great to watch. It's something we have to be really aware of. He's kicked a lot of goals this year - we need to be aware of that. Hopefully both of them can go head to head for a while, and have big impacts for their team," Cox said.
A little bit of the shine has come off the contest, given that Fremantle are coming off a loss for the first time since Round 1, and Longmuir triaged his side's shortcomings with discernment, when asked about the loss to the Giants.
"A really disappointing performance. They hunted us, when one of trademarks this year has been being on the front foot and hunting the opposition. They were stronger and tougher around the contest than us... we got shown up in a lot of different areas."
A pivotal point of difference for the Dockers is Hayden Young, who has again succumbed to injury after a groin complaint ended his day against the Giants early. Longmuir is bullish about the timeline for his left-footer this time around, even after a checkered and lengthy history of soft tissue complaints.
"He's good. He's had a really good scan result. He'll be pushing it for this week (with the side on a five-day break), but we've dodged a bullet in some sense. If he doesn't get up for this week, we think he'll be a really good chance for next week."
The Swans had their own mojo momentarily taken from them a week earlier, in a loss to Brisbane, with Cox pleased with the manner in which his side responded against the Western Bulldogs.
"We just leaked too many goals, and our three phases weren't at the level that was required against a really good team. It was good to get a response, and we need one in another massive game against the best team in the competition on Thursday night."
