Matthew Pavlich happy he stayed the course with Fremantle Dockers

Matthew Pavlich says he doesn't need tonight's preliminary final to vindicate his decision to stay in Perth.

Matthew Pavlich at Fremantle Football Club ahead of this weeks Preliminary final against the Sydney Swans.

THE South Australian admits he has been close to returning to Adelaide during his 14-year career, but each time resisted overtures from the Crows and Power to stay the course at the Dockers.

Now at 31, the six-time All-Australian and best-and-fairest finds himself one game away from the club's first grand final and most realistic shot at a flag which Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has tipped the Dockers to win.

Pavlich played in Fremantle's only preliminary final in 2006 which it lost to Sydney by 35 points but gets a shot at redemption tonight as a scorching $1.40 favourite at home.

"It's nice to be in this position, there's no doubting that," Pavlich said this week.

"Once you make a decision in life it's important not to have regret and you just charge on forward. (But) just because you make a decision in life doesn't mean you have to be vindicated.

"Sometimes that's what life is all about, you learn lessons either way, whether they're the right decisions or the wrong decisions.

"Yes it's nice to be playing in a prelim and yes it's nice to have this opportunity, but I don't need this opportunity to vindicate some decisions I made years ago."

Talk of Pavlich returning to Adelaide surfaced every time his contract at Fremantle was up for renewal after he was drafted from Woodville-West Torrens at No. 4 in 1999.

Speculation about his future made headlines in 2002, 2007 and 2010 and the Fremantle skipper concedes he came close to returning home a few times, but his connection to the purple haze won out.

"I've been on the record plenty of times to say that 'yeah, I was (close)'," he said.

"I considered my future many times and clearly one of the options in the forefront of my mind was to head back to Adelaide and play footy there."

"But it didn't eventuate and I wanted to see it out over here and stay the course, and right now it's a good position to be in."

A premiership is one of only very few things missing from Pavlich's stellar career and while he says it's in the back of his mind, it hasn't become a distraction.

"I'm human, I've thought about the possibilities that exist and it's even more heightened given the stage of my career," Pavlich said.

"But that's not good, it doesn't help us.

"It's a distraction to think any further than the next training session or the next meeting so we acknowledge that we are going to have those thoughts and emotions at some stage, but the more we use that as fuel to get us into action and into preparing for the game, that's the most important thing."

Pavlich has played just 10 games this season, the lowest of any year of his career, as he recovered from Achilles surgery. But he says an extended stint on the sidelines hasn't made him any hungrier than he already was.

"I've always wanted to win an AFL premiership so I don't think the hunger is any greater than it was when I started," he said.

"But just because you're craving something so much, unfortunately doesn't guarantee you anything."

"As long as all the players can look each other in the eye at the end of the game and say 'hey look, we gave it our all' whether we win or lose we'll be able to move forward together.

Pavlich's family will travel from Adelaide to attend the game in Perth where the Dockers have been the talk of the town.

"There's been a lot of external noise this week and that's something the playing group has to handle," he said.

"Some guys will draw off that energy and others will find it a bit challenging.

"All we need to focus on and it's been our mantra for quite some time is our preparation both mentally and physically at training is red hot because the game on Saturday night is going to be that way."

Pavlich is confident young players including Lachie Neale, Lee Spurr and Cameron Sutcliffe - all drafted from the SANFL - won't be overawed by the occasion.

"If finals last year and the Geelong game (a fortnight ago) is anything to go by, my belief is pretty strong in those guys and with another week or two of training and understanding the external pressures I think they'll handle it quite well," he said.