MOST Geelong people are excited. Some are fretful. But Bob Davis is not among the worried.

Davis, who has worn the moniker "Geelong's last premiership coach" since 1963, believes Geelong should be untroubled in defeating Collingwood tonight, and taking the premiership eight days hence.

"If the confidence of the town and the displays they are giving at training over the last couple of weeks come to fruition, then there shouldn't be any worries about it," said Davis.

Geelong's past finals failures — particularly the period between 1989 and 1995, when it played in four grand finals without bringing home the bacon — have created both fevered excitement and anxiety among those who support the Cats.

The excitement derives from the high probability that Geelong will finally win the premiership. The anxiety is based upon the dark possibility that it will not; that Collingwood tonight — or its grand final opponent — will conjure some voodoo and somehow deny the Cats the un-loseable flag.

Davis, who coached with the carefree, cavalier spirit that marked the talented 1950s teams in which he played, doesn't subscribe to the view that the anticipation of victory should be suppressed.

"You're not supposed to get ahead of yourself, are you?," Davis said, with a hint of disdain for the worriers. "You're supposed to keep a lid on it, aren't you? Or something like that.

"I didn't ever believe as far as when I was coaching. I thought if you were good enough you'd beat them all the time."

Davis watched the Cats train yesterday, and plans to be among the 90,000-plus at the MCG tonight for what will be the most momentous match between Victorian clubs in several years.

Geelong supporters and officials have every reason to share Davis' confidence. The Cats have no injuries of note, besides the foot problem that will prevent all-Australian centre half-back Matthew Egan from playing tonight.

The Cats finished three games, and a huge amount of percentage ahead of the second-placed Port Adelaide and were no less than five games clear of the Magpies. On the evidence presented throughout the season and the finals — they defeated the Kangaroos by 106 points in the qualifying final — something will have to go badly awry for Geelong to blow this one.

Davis felt that if Collingwood was to prove troublesome, the threat would come from its three "competent big blokes in the forward line". They were the unpredictable Anthony Rocca, and 20-year-olds Travis Cloke and Sean Rusling, whom Davis referred to as "Ruz-a-ling".

Davis noted that Collingwood's side contained more inexperienced players — it has no less than eight players 21 and under, and seven players 27 and older — and "'Woofa" was uncertain what, if any effect, the occasion would have on the younger Magpies. "If that (the occasion) doesn't throw them, then our skills should."

With the drought have stretched into a middle-aged life span, Geelong has only 30 premiership players alive. "We're hoping that the number will go up very quickly," Davis said. To precisely 52, by Saturday week.