South Sydney captain Adam Reynolds is expected to goal-kick in Sunday's grand final having appeared unbothered by his groin injury in the Rabbitohs' last training session.
Speaking on Saturday, Souths assistant coach Jason Demetriou said he was "pretty sure" that Reynolds would take back the tee from rookie fullback Blake Taaffe in the clash with Penrith.
Demetriou insisted Reynolds was close to fully fit while Panthers coach Ivan Cleary confirmed fullback Dylan Edwards "will be right" despite a foot injury limiting his training load.
For Demetriou, who will take over as Rabbitohs coach in 2022, the decider is his final time as Wayne Bennett's right-hand man.
In five years as an assistant to the master mentor, who he followed from Brisbane to South Sydney in 2019, Demetriou has experienced four preliminary finals and garnered a wealth of knowledge.
While Bennett has been linked to coaching a potential expansion club, he is yet to confirm his next move and Demetriou said the 71-year-old has looked back fondly on his time at the Rabbitohs.
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"I think that's what tomorrow night represents – it represents a three-year journey [at Souths], not just 2021," Demetriou said.
"A lot of things that have been put in place over those three years and the standards that we driven have got us to this point.
"There's been a bit of reflection, for sure. I think it's more about Wayne's time at Souths rather than the end of his career.
"There have been a lot of lessons along the way. There are things I reflect on away from training, away from the field. The one-on-one conversations, all the little things you do over five years.
"I think it's easier to say I can't see him not coaching," he later said of Bennett. "He just loves it. It's what he's done for such a long time and I know it's something he'd be keen to continue."
Having beaten Penrith with a simple yet effective gameplan in week one of the finals, South Sydney won't deviate too far from their tactics.
"That's finals, that's big games – that's how you win. You've got to hold on to the footy, limit the opposition's chances and then take the chances when you get them," Demetriou said.
Cleary, meanwhile, said he was "super stoked" to be preparing for his second grand final in as many years after the 2020 loss to Melbourne.
The Panthers trailed 26-0 against the Storm before rallying to lose 26-20, but Cleary feels the second half of last season's decider was a seminal moment for his young team.
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"We gave ourselves a chance to win at the end of that game. As it turned out, the end of that game was the start of our new season," Cleary said.
"I was very proud of the way the team fought back in that game. [But] we felt like we definitely missed an opportunity there."
Cleary conceded the Rabbitohs "were probably just a bit hungrier" when they last met but he is confident of turning the tables.
"We probably just were a bit off and in a big finals game that can be the difference. And it probably was," he said.
