Geelong AFL star Isaac Smith looking forward to being among fans again in AFL qualifying final

And even though Max Gawn's after the siren winner meant the Cats were sent to an away qualifying final, there were still plenty of positives despite the shattering loss for the former Redan and Hawthorn premiership player.

"I took the approach before the top four was set that if I got to choose to play one team, it would be Port in Adelaide," Smith said.

"Playing them over there is one of the best experiences you can have in football, no club does it better.

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"All we want to do as players is play in front of a crowd. If it wasn't for the fans, I wouldn't have a job, none of us would get to do what we love to do.

"A full MCG, a full Adelaide Oval, a full Optus Stadium, this is what we play for. I'm thrilled there's going to be fans and I can't wait to get over there."

It won't be a 'full' Adelaide Oval, with just 15,000 spectators allowed into the ground this Friday night, but 15,000 is still a lot better than what the Cats have played in front of in recent weeks, with three consecutive home games having been locked out of attendances.

That lack of fans might have led to Geelong's recent run of losing two of its past three matches, and having to come from 31 points behind in the other contest against St Kilda to steal a victory.

What looked on paper to be a dream draw, turned into a disaster and Smith has no doubt that had a massive effect on the performance of the home team.

"You look at Geelong's record at home over the years and it's second to none," he said.

"What I've noticed particularly in the past 18 months, you're never safe.

"You didn't see the 30-40 point turnarounds, but you see them a lot more now and I think a lot of that has to do with the crowds not being there to get you going if the other team has got some momentum."

This week in order to play in Adelaide, the entire Geelong squad will complete 60 hours of quarantine which started on Tuesday night and will continue once they arrive on Thursday afternoon.

Smith said he wasn't sure what the protocols would be once arriving in Adelaide, but is hopeful there won't be a repeat of a six-hour wait in the cricket nets like the team experienced in June.

Although that worked for the Cats who recorded a 23-point win on the night, the difficulty of experiencing another 'net session' would be a major disadvantage in a final.

"We're pretty much locked in our houses from Tuesday night," Smith said.

"For others who might have other arrangements, it's apartments on the waterfront in Geelong which some have used before.

"We're only allowed out to train, so it's pretty much full quarantine until we fly on Thursday, I'm guessing once we're there, we'll have an allocated hotel but from there at this stage I'm not quite sure how it will work.

"It's something we've had to do a few times this year, we'll do what we have to do."

It will be a special night for the Cats with spearhead Tom Hawkins set to play his 300^th game, while skipper Joel Selwood will equal Corey Enright's club games record of 332 games.

Smith said he believed the AFL would be rapt with the way the finals series has panned out with the bottom four teams all having various success against top opponents throughout the season.

"It's really exciting for the football community to be honest," he said. "Even at the weekend, the top four teams were all decided within a kick, the bottom four teams in the eight have all beaten top sides along the way.

"What this year has shown is if you don't rock up against a top four team you're gone. Adelaide pulled our pants down in round one. If you're not on for full 120 minutes, you don't win football."

Smith's debut season with Geelong has been outstanding, with potentially only the injured Tom Stewart in front of him. "It's been a good year, but personally I don't know if I'd say it's been my best," he said.

"I feel I've played some really consistent footy, but I've just played the role Geelong has wanted me to play. It's not for me to try and be the hero.

"We've got 22 great players out there and I'm part of that."

The Cats lost this same final to Port last season before rebounding to make the grand final.

"It's funny in football, you don't forget certain things. I'm fortunate to come in with a clean slate in some ways and that's how i'm going to approach it," Smith said.