So far in 2018, West Coast have our number.

They’re two wins from two starts ahead of the biggest meeting between any two sides this season.

Past results mean nothing to Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury, who is confident the Magpies’ game plan stacks up against the Eagles.

“We’ve got massive belief in the way that we play,” Pendlebury told Collingwood Media podcast ‘Jock and Journo’.

“I think how we play will ask them a lot of questions and I think we’ll be good enough to get it done.”

iTunes: Catch up on an entertaining second season of the Jock and Journo podcast.

As he approaches his fourth Grand Final (including two in 2010), Pendlebury is well prepared for the pre-game nerves the big game brings.

He believes the first five minutes will be crucial as both teams attempt to settle and execute their respective game plans.

“The start is going to be very important,” he told co-host Jay Clark of the Herald Sun.

“They’ve got a great balance in their side, forward, mid and back. There isn’t really an area of weakness there for them.

“But we hope we can get on top of them in the midfield.

“I think we’ve got to go to work in the midfield and make sure any ball they get is under a lot of pressure.”

Win or lose, Pendlebury will have great support in the stands of the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The Collingwood captain has invited family and close friends to the game, many of whom offered messages of good luck to the star midfielder on Jock and Journo.

Mum, Dad, wife, brothers and mates all called in to wish Pendlebury well. The audio can be heard on in the module below.

Jock and Journo S2EP14: Grand Final preview, special support messages & triple black at the Brownlow
Jock and Journo’s Scott Pendlebury and Jay Clark discuss a strange few days (0:30), triple black at the Brownlow (2:05), special messages for Pendles (7:30), memories playing for Sale (10:45), clunk, clunk Pendlebury (11:35), the Pendlebury parents (16:30), analysing the Eagles (21:35), battle of the midfields (25:00), pre-Grand Final nerves (26:00), the difficult side of Grand Final week (27:55) pre-match speech plans (29:30), Jay’s Grand Final prediction (32:00) and more.