Is it possible for a player to come of age at 31? Well Gary Rohan did just that in Geelong's extraordinary six-point Qualifying Final win against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
Rohan has been a solid player his entire career but his record in finals since joining the Cats has been incredibly poor.
Last season, the forward didn't score in Geelong's final losses against Port Adelaide and Melbourne and had only one disposal in the Preliminary Final against the Demons.
In 2020, he didn't score and only had five possessions in the Grand Final loss to Richmond and the year before he touched the ball only three times against the Magpies in the Qualifying Final.
But all those abysmal performances were forgotten about as Rohan proved to be the match-winner with an extraordinary effort against Collingwood in front of 91,525 at the home of AFL.
Rohan took a huge mark on the 50m mark and put the Cats in front with a booming set shot as time wore down in the final quarter.
The veteran Cat then got out the back to handball the match-winner to Max Holmes, who goaled from point-blank.
But it wasn't just his final contribution to the match - Rohan kicked two other goals and provided a contest in the air and significant pressure on the ground throughout the match.
Can Rohan back it up in the one before the Grand Final?
Jordan De Goey shows us what he can do on the big stage
Collingwood fell just short in one of the best finals of all time but it wasn't because of a lack of performance or effort from Jordan De Goey.
With his future still up in the air, De Goey produced an absolutely blistering performance, with two brilliant final-quarter goals book-ending a supreme all-round effort.
In addition to the cream on top, the 26-year-old had eight clearances, nine tackles and six inside 50's as he showed he can also put together a gutsy midfield performance in a huge match.
De Goey might have just added a few extra dollars to his contract for 2023 - it's just a matter of where he will be playing?
Surely Collingwood won't want to lose a match-winner of his calibre?
Atkins and Guthrie junior the unsung heroes
While most of the plaudits for Geelong's win will go to the likes of Rohan, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Stewart, special praise should be reserved for Tom Atkins and Zach Guthrie.
It's fair to say that Geelong fans probably wouldn't have cared if either got traded in 2020 - but both are proving to be key cogs of Geelong's revolution and future.
Atkins had a game-high 16 contested possessions with eight clearances and nine tackles in a supreme midfield performance.
It also allowed Dangerfield and Selwood to start on the bench and strike later in the quarter when the Magpies were tiring.
Guthrie only had 17 disposals but he was second highest Cat for metres gained (586) to Stewart (611), with 16 of his possessions being kicks.
His composure in a final was a factor that was unprecedented.
