Police Assistant Commissioner Shane Patton said a record number of police officers would flood the MCG and surrounding areas before and after the big game.

All gates will be manned by police, and a significant number of officers will be patrolling inside the MCG, Assistant Commissioner Patton said.

He also warned spectators that entry would take longer than usual because police will be taking extra care when checking bags.

"We've increased security numbers significantly for the game, and we'll also be working with private operators," he said. "If you drink excessively to get drunk, if you're engaging in anti-social behaviour ... you stand a very real chance of being evicted from the game, or being locked up if you're caught drunk.

"No one wants to wake up on Sunday morning with a $590 fine for being drunk and a $738 fine for being drunk and disorderly - it's a very expensive day at the football to wake up and say: 'I don't remember anything about it'."

Sports Minister Damian Drum said police had also been targeting social media and specific websites to weed out scalpers trying to exploit the ticketing system.

"We are monitoring these sites every hour, and we are contacting sites that have any tickets for sale to make sure they are taken off," Mr Drum said.

"Thirty tickets have already been taken off ... and we want to remind everyone that this is a declared event, and every ticket is registered with the AFL."

Mr Drum warned scalpers and buyers that the AFL would be able to "trace every ticket that is produced for the grand final to its point of origin."

The penalties for scalping were "quite extreme", the minister said, with individuals caught selling "one ticket even $1 over the face value" facing a fine of up to $738.

Individuals caught selling multiple tickets could be penalised $8800, while organisations trading in scalping face a $44,000 fine.

"However, if organisations are operating in a calculated, meaningful and significant manner, penalties are over $400,000," Mr Drum warned.

For desperate fans hoping to buy a scalped ticket, Mr Drum had this warning: "You will have your ticket cancelled". He said the AFL was forced to navigate a delicate balance between sponsors and fans when selling tickets for Saturday's game.

"Everybody understands how important sponsors are in keeping the weekly admission ticket price at an affordable level," he said. "The AFL does its best and I don't think the system encourages scalping that much."

AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said the organisation would work closely with the government and police to make sure the "biggest week of the sporting calendar" went smoothly.