Footy Fever: Cats go for glory over Hawks

The biggest finals series for years is about to kick off tonight with Geelong aiming to continue its winning streak over Hawthorn.

The Cats have made two changes for the MCG qualifying final, regaining Tom Lonergan and Mathew Stokes from injury while Hawthorn recalled eight top players for the clash with its fierce rivals.

The finals promise to be a financial bonanza for the AFL.

"Just judging by ticket sales, it'll probably be our largest first round we've ever sold," AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said today.

However, there is a threat of rain and hail, and fears of public transport disruption.

Only a few showers are expected tonight, but forecasters predict it will be very cold and windy.

Andrea Peace from the Bureau of Meteorology told 7News: "It's cold and windy at the MCG tonight, looking at a temperature of only nine degrees and the chance of a shower or two."

While supporters may not be fans of the wild weather, Alastair Clarkson expects his hawks to be suited by the conditions.

"Two weeks in a row we played Fremantle over there in the west and then the Kangas down in Tassie it was really scrubby conditions," he told Sportal.com.au yesterday.

"We've won those games and we feel that our game style can adjust well to wet conditions and our players are resilient enough to withstand those tough conditions."

"If that happens to occur tomorrow night we'll be prepared for it."

Meanwhile, interstate footy fans have been warned they may face flight disruption following an industrial campaign by Qantas aircraft engineers, who are striking for an hour every Friday night.

Qantas says finals visitors are being used as pawns in the industrial action.

The airline is putting on bigger aircraft and more of them to help passengers cope with the disruption, but the union says the footy finals are nothing more than a convenient smokescreen for Qantas.

Steve Purvinas of the Aircraft Engineers' Union told 7News: "We gave Qantas three weeks notification of these stoppages and we had absolutely no idea who would be playing in finals or what state they'd be in."

And with no more than a whisker between tonight's teams, all that remains is for the games to begin.