Grand Finals change the way we look at players. Before last year’s big game, Dan Hannebery was considered a rising star of the competition. By the end of the match, he was simply a star. A year earlier we witnessed Tom Hawkins go from ‘boy to man’, as he had the best game of his career when his club needed it most.

Make no mistake; we’ll witness something similar tomorrow. The likes of Fyfe, Mitchell, Pavlich and ‘Buddy’ are regarded as genuine stars of the AFL already, but when the final siren sounds there will be another player or two held in the same bracket. The unpredictability of Grand Finals makes it hard to know exactly who those players will be, but here’s a nomination for each team.

Hawthorn – Brian Lake

On #AFLGF day 2012, @BrianLake17 was enjoying a BBQ in the car park of the @MCG. This year, it's a different story: http://t.co/uS1Ql104vo

— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) September 23, 2013

Lake was recruited last summer to fill the only obvious void in Hawthorn’s line-up – a key defender who could stop the game’s best power forwards. So far he’s been a success story, but his first Grand Final appearance will be a baptism of fire. In all likelihood, Lake will be given the job on Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich.

It’s hard to know exactly how their contest will unfold, as Lake hasn’t yet played against Pavlich as a Hawk. Nor did Lake get the job on Pavlich last season, when the Dockers champ booted a bag of six goals against Bulldog Lukas Markovic.

While Lake and Pavlich haven’t duelled recently, they’ve crossed paths 10 times throughout their careers. Lake hasn’t always been Pavlich’s direct opponent, but the Docker has a fairly impressive record in games where they’ve played together. He has averaged 19 possessions, seven marks and almost three goals – all of which outrank his career averages.

There won’t be a player out there tomorrow who deserves a premiership more than Pavlich; he’s been waiting for this chance for more than a decade. Stopping him will be no easy feat, but someone’s got to do it if Hawthorn is to win. Brian Lake was recruited to be that man. Alastair Clarkson will be praying he can pull it off.

A premiership medal would sit nicely alongside his two All Australian guernseys, and might even see him catapulted into discussions about the best key defenders of the modern era.

Fremantle – Stephen Hill

The Dockers have been praised for their relentless pressure and ability to choke opposition sides, but when they’re not defending it’s crucial they make the Hawks pay.

The midfield battle will pit a handful of seasoned bodies against one another – Fyfe, Mundy, Barlow and Crowley against Mitchell, Sewell, Hodge and Lewis – but at some point, the game will break open.

Enter Stephen Hill.

Though the Hawks move the ball quicker than most other sides in the league, their abundance of strength around the contest means they don’t cover the ground quite as well as some other sides. Hawthorn is susceptible to being opened up defensively when a speedy and skilful player can break the lines.

Consider Swan Lewis Jetta’s performance in last year’s Grand Final. He had just 12 possessions, but made each of them count.

Stephen Hill has averaged 22 disposals in the last month – if the Dockers can get the ball in his hands often enough, he will trouble the Hawks with his speed. Hawthorn may have just one player who can match him in that department – his brother Brad.

While Brad has shown plenty of promise in his first full-season, Stephen’s fifth year at AFL level has seen him reach a new level of consistent performance. Tomorrow’s match could see him arrive as a genuine star of the competition.