The countdown has begun for the Magpies’ clash with Koroit in the Hampden league grand final at Reid Oval on Saturday.

It is the first time the Magpies have made the grand final since losing to South Warrnambool in 2006.

Their two most recent appearances before that were, ironically, both against Koroit.

In 2003, the Saints came back from an eight-goal margin to defeat the Magpies while current Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley led Camperdown to a victory over Koroit in 2000.

The Magpies’ 12-year absence from the biggest game of the season has created plenty of hype about the men in black and white.

This hype has had time to build, with Camperdown having the week off after an upset win over Koroit in the second semi-final.

Magpies coach Phil Carse said he was satisfied with his team’s preparation.

“We will keep things business as usual this week,” Carse said.

“Obviously, there is a lot of excitement around and while we made sure we did our recovery and kept our eye on the ball last week, it was also a chance to soak up the atmosphere a bit.

“We trained on Saturday morning, had lunch together and went to the preliminary final.

“This week it’s training as normal and really focusing on making the most of the opportunity in front of us.”

Camperdown will select its grand final 21 on Thursday with tall utility Billy Arnold having this week to prove his fitness.

Arnold missed the second semi-final with a quad strain.

“Billy has been a big part of our squad this year,” Carse said.

“He’s played key back and has also played forward and in the ruck, he’s a pretty flexible player for us. 

“We’ll assess his fitness this week.”