MELBOURNE small forward Charlie Spargo said the side was preparing for a blockbuster match against the Cats on Saturday night.

“We’re setting our sights on a big game,” Spargo told Melbourne Media.

“They’re a really good side, we were looking at their strengths and there’s a lot of them.

“They move the ball well, their contest is really good and they’ve got some good intercept defenders.”

This weekend is the final round of the home-and-away season, with the top four still to be determined following the outcome of the Round 23 games.

The Demons head into the clash with the top spot on the ladder, while Geelong sit at second.

Spargo said that despite having the top spot, the Dees weren’t underestimating the significance of the game.

“Even though it’s the end of the year and we’re on top of the table, it’s extremely important,” Spargo said.

Earlier this week the AFL announced it had scrapped the pre-finals bye, with the week off to instead be used during finals.

“I was looking forward to it,” Spargo said of the pre-finals bye.

“At the end of the year, you’re looking for a week off just to have a bit of a rest…but we’re just going to have to move on from that and adapt to it.”

This now means that Melbourne will be jumping straight into its finals campaign starting Monday.

“You want to look forward to it, you keep thinking about it, but the coaches and players always make sure that we stay in the present,” Spargo said.

“We’re just trying to look forward to this week.”

Melbourne will face Geelong on Saturday 21 August at GMHBA Stadium.

You can catch all the action live from 7:25pm (AEST) via the Seven Network.