Geelong director of coaching Simon Lloyd says while the Cats will use their week off to freshen up, they’re in for some bruising hit-outs ahead of next week’s qualifying final.

It’s the second season September-bound clubs have had to negotiate the pre-finals bye, with the Cats facing a 13-day break between their last game against the Giants in round 23 and their first final against Richmond next Friday night.

Lloyd says balance will be the key in the coming days, both in work on and off the track.

“It’s as much about getting all their bodies right and we’ll have a couple of solid sessions throughout the week,” Lloyd told Cats Media on Tuesday morning.

“[We’ll be] trying to simulate what Richmond will do on Friday week and also work on our game. That’s probably the biggest emphasis.”

“We’ve had three strong weeks of really solid football and we’ll look to build on that.”

A crowd of more than 90,000 is expected to fill the MCG for the first finals clash between Geelong and Richmond since 1995, with the right to host a preliminary final on the line.

While the Cats extended their winning streak against the Tigers to 13 in round 21’s 14-point win at Simonds Stadium, the slate will be wiped clean in a cutthroat final.

“We’ll reflect a fair bit on a couple of weeks ago but we’ll move forward as well,” Lloyd said.

“We know that they’re a very dangerous opponent and they’ve earned the right to get the double chance as well.”

“This is why we’re in the business.”