Chiefs wing Lelia Masaga is still troubled by an ankle problem which may require a fitness test today while other variations are being assessed before the side is announced.
"We may not be doing as much hands-on coaching this week but there is a lot more to it than that, the mental side of things has to be spot on," coach Dave Rennie said.
Their video before the 20-19 semifinal win against the Crusaders reminded them all how hard they had worked this year and what they needed to keep doing to make the nine-month slog successful.
"It was about getting minds right and reminding them who we play for and all those things," Rennie said.
Generally those cues were driven by the Chiefs staff though former league international Tawera Nikau and the Kiwis had also given inspiring talks earlier in the year.
Victory inspired Rennie and his players to do better and that learning force was even stronger after defeats like the Chiefs had against the Reds and Waratahs.
"Rugby is a great game like that and we have a lot of good people here who are highly motivated," Rennie said.
All the staff except Dr James McGarvey would return for next year's campaign while the playing roster, including overtures to Sonny Bill Williams, would not be sorted for a while.
The 2013 group had to cover injuries and developing player depth had been one of the advances.
Players like Charlie Ngatai and Gareth Anscombe, who had been bit-part selections for the Hurricanes and Blues, had emerged with strong performances. They had made big shifts and been at the core of progress.
Trying to claim a repeat Super 15 crown had different challenges from cracking the inaugural title. There were the mental demands about desperation and second-year syndrome but the squad had responded superbly.
Even when they played some indifferent rugby they had won matches and that showed the shifts they had learned about top-level rugby.
"We have all learned a lot about ourselves. But it's not done yet, there is still work to be sorted."
