Peter Katsambanis is a lawyer and Collingwood fanatic who lives in Perth. Want to blog on the AFL Grand Final? Click here to have your say.

And so it begins. The world's longest and weirdest roller coaster ride. The mighty Collingwood Magpies have made it to the Grand Final and we, the Magpie faithful, are condemned to a week of sheer purgatory.

We've been here before - many, many times. Yet only once in my lifetime have we sipped from the Holy Grail at the end of the week. Surely this is the year that we will finally drink from the victory chalice again. But ...

There are just so many buts to being a Collingwood supporter. The buts of all those previous grand final losses and the buts of self-doubt that turn the reality of a red-hot team primed for success into disturbing nightmares of the worst-case scenario come 5pm on Saturday.

But in those dark moments, that will be plentiful over the next week, we can draw comfort and strength from the youthful assurance of the current Magpie team. Our champions who sustain us week to week for 22 weeks and the young men on whose broad shoulders our own dreams rest on.

This team plays with no fear. It is not burdened by the collective past of our club or the supporters. The playing group displays a sense of self-belief and composure under pressure that indicates their focus is on one thing and one thing only - the premiership prize on that one day in September.

But that day is still six days away. Six long days that will seem to go forever. In his documentary, Ben Cousins said that idle hands are the devil's work. Well if that's the case then an idle mind with time on its hands must be Satan's playground. All the doubts, all the fears and all the haunting memories of the past will revisit us and turn us into nervous nellies.

The week will be full of the surreal events that simply add to the pressure by reversing the known truths of the football universe. Friends and work colleagues who for years have told us they hate Collingwood and have wanted to bait us every time we have lost a match will suddenly be wishing us luck. It's at those times that you simply want to tell them to STFU. We know you hate us and we don't care. So don't pretend any different. Got it?

If I get a dollar for every person who will say to me "I'll be barracking for Collingwood on Saturday" I would be able to outbid the Gold Coast Suns for Gary Ablett and send him to any team I designate.

You don't simply decide to barrack for Collingwood on Saturday. Collingwood is not a menu item you deluded fools. It is a lifestyle choice. One that forces you to ride the entire gamut of human emotions from pleasure to pain and agony to ecstasy, often all within one quarter of footy. You choose Collingwood for life - not for a day! And when you make that choice it consumes your life.

And how can I forget the casual acquaintances who also happen to be casual Collingwood fans. They probably went to a game or two a decade ago! For some reason known only to themselves they believe a phone call to us will secure them a Grand Final ticket that about 30,000 fully paid Magpie members can't get, even though they go to the footy every week. These cretins deserve no sympathy and no ticket to the big dance. And in my case, they are usually the ones who cop a release of all the frustration and anger that builds in a week like this. So if you are reading this, don't call!

The AFL wants to make Grand Final week a celebration of all things footy. Well they should focus only on the fans of the 14 teams with nothing to lose. For us, the pageants and festivals mean nothing. It's all a sideshow to the only show that really matters. Even on game day it's the same. Who sings the anthem or who parades in cars before the game is irrelevant. We don't care whether the half time entertainment will be the worst ever or just as bad as previous years. Just bring the game on already!!!

Can you tell it's going to be a long week? Strap yourselves in, hold on for the ride and pray for a happy ending.