Fremantle hero Matthew Pavlich, now the CEO of premiership rivals Sydney, says Thursday night’s top-of-the-table clash between the two sides will be like choosing between his children.

Pavlich is one of the Dockers’ greatest-ever players and most beloved figures. He spent a decade as the club’s captain and is still their all-time leading goalkicker.

But the 44-year-old now finds himself at the head of the club hoping to knock the high-flying Fremantle off their perch at the top of the ladder.

Thursday’s sold-out Optus Stadium blockbuster is the first time the Dockers and Swans have faced off since Pavlich joined the club in the off-season.

Pavlich tried to go under the radar at the Swans’ training session in Perth on Wednesday, sporting jeans and a t-shirt and helping collect footies for players.

He admitted it would be a slightly awkward return to his former club’s home ground.

“I might have to wear a neutral suit,” he joked to AFL.com.au. “I don’t know, I’ll probably smile and wave to the crowd if I happen to flash up on the big screen.”

“I think everyone — whether it’s Lauren, the three kids, or everyone in between that I’ve shared 26 great years in Perth with and have a strong connection to the Freo football club — will feel a bit strange and awkward about it.

“I keep saying to a few people that it’ll be a bit like asking me which one of my kids I love the most — it’s an impossible question to answer, albeit that I’m all in on where I am at the moment.”

Regardless of navigating his two footy loves, Pavlich said he was looking forward to a return to Perth but wouldn’t go so far as to say he hoped football would be the winner.

Instead, he revealed his focus lies squarely on his new role.

“It’ll be great to get back to Perth and see friends and family first and foremost. I’m also really excited to watch what should be a really good game of football between two teams playing really well at the top end of the ladder,” he said.

“Freo, my first football love, is on fire, and it warms my heart to say that. But at the same time, I’m now on the other side of the fence, and I’m really excited about what we can do at the Swans this year. It’s going to be a tremendous match.

“That being said, my love for that club won’t change, and my passion, direction, and real ambition for the Swans is certainly not diminishing just because we’re playing my old team.”

It was a sentiment shared by another WA footy legend turned Sydney leader, with coach Dean Cox saying Pavlich is firmly red and white these days.

“Coming from a different club as well, you always have fond memories of the clubs you spend time at, and no doubt he’s got that for Fremantle with the time he spent here, but he’s all in for the Swans,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“I understand the time he spent at Freo and over here ... it’ll be an interesting week for Pav, but our job is to make sure we prepare the team as best as we possibly can.”

Despite Pavlich retiring 10 years ago, his fingerprints are still over the current Dockers team, with his famous Wharfie Time speech now reverberating across Optus Stadium when Fremantle need a boost.

It’s been lauded across the AFL landscape as one of the best stadium experiences in the league and the effect it has on the field has been tangible this season.

“I keep saying to the AFL, (Fremantle CEO) Simon Garlick, and Freo that I’ll send an invoice soon, and yeah, you’re welcome for the great fan activation that I established for the club,” Pavlich joked.

“But look, it’s the people’s thing — it’s not mine, it’s not the club’s, it’s not the AFL’s. It’s the people that have been drawn to it and really latched onto it. What was a mumble-jumble of pre-game words in 2009 has now become a bit of folklore.

“We’re all just passing through footy clubs, so hopefully my legacy is a little bit more than just Wharfie Time, but if that’s all that it is, I’m happy for that to be the case.”