Mark Nicoski - decked out in his business suit - choked back tears as he ran onto the MCG to give teammate Chad Fletcher a congratulatory hug after West Coast's epic one-point AFL grand final win over Sydney in 2006.

It is a bitter-sweet moment Nicoski will never forget after playing in the Eagles' 2005 losing grand final before missing selection in the '06 decider due to an untimely mid-season injury.

Now, the reborn Eagles forward is making sure his teammates don't forget to seize the opportunity that currently awaits them.

West Coast - a club ridiculed after last year's wooden spoon - have become the AFL's Cinderella story of 2011, with their fourth-placed finish setting up a dream qualifying final date with Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.

And after experiencing first-hand just how devastating it is to miss out on a premiership, Nicoski has urged West Coast's band of fledgling stars to treat this finals campaign as if it will be their one and only chance to snare a flag.

"It doesn't matter where we've come from or how we've got there, you've got to look at it as if it's your only opportunity to win a premiership," Nicoski said.

"I don't want to get them too nervous or too scared about what's happening in the next couple of weeks, but they need to understand the importance and seriousness of what we've done and what we've given ourselves a chance to do."

Nicoski's transformation from free-wheeling defender to clever goalsneak has been almost as remarkable as West Coast's rags-to-riches tale.

The 27-year-old entered the season with his career on the line due to a raft of shoulder injuries that had stymied his development.

But the left-footer hasn't missed a beat this season, booting 38 goals in 22 games to establish himself as the team's premier small forward.

And ahead of West Coast's return to finals, Nicoski opened up about the pain of missing out on the club's 2006 premiership.

"Don't get me wrong, I was really ecstatic for the club and players that played that day," said Nicoski, who has notched 109 games since making his debut in 2004.

"But it did sting a bit. I played in the one that we lost the year before and I'll never forget seeing Fletchy when I first ran out onto the oval in '06.

"I've got my hundred-game video (tribute) with that (vision) a part of (it).

"That means a great deal to me and I'd like to be able to be Chaddy Fletcher giving Koby Stevens a hug this year or someone like that, if you know what I mean.

"Because I think that's what builds great football clubs and great tradition and hopefully we're in a position to do that."

West Coast are likely to field 10 finals debutants against the Magpies, and Nicoski said no amount of words would prepare them for the up-tempo nature of the occasion.

"I mean the senior guys are going to know what to expect but I think with the younger guys ... I think there's sort of a bit of a naive enthusiasm about them," Nicoski said.

"I don't think they really know what's coming and I think that's a great thing because no doubt when they're 10 minutes in and gasping for air and thinking this is out of control, they won't have already played the game during the week (in their mind).

"But it pretty quickly turns into a normal game of footy after that."

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