For a side that's about to play in its second grand final in five years, you'd assume the Western Bulldogs have been primed for a flag all along.
Yet the truth is since their historic triumph in 2016 they've endured a transformation for the ages to have the club where it is now, on the precipice of more glory.
That win over Sydney wiped away 62 years of pain for Bulldogs fans, but the scars the club has endured since puts into perspective this year's accomplishments.
Here's a look at the three key changes that have shaped the Western Bulldogs' rise to this year's grand final.
TRELOAR, KEATH, BRUCE AND OTHER SUCCESSES AT TRADE TABLE
While Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore and Lachie Hunter headline a small core of eight players remaining from that 2016 grand final team, plus a handful of others who didn't feature on that day, the changes elsewhere have been significant.
Certainly, they needed to be after the way the club plummeted in the years that ensued that flag, where they missed successive finals in 2017 and 2018.
The work the Bulldogs have done at the trade table to supplement this group has been pivotal in propelling the club back to the pointy end of the league.
It started with Taylor Duryea, who arrived at the end of 2018 after nine seasons and two premierships with Hawthorn.
While Duryea's time at Whitten Oval has been disrupted with injuries, 2021 has marked his finest year to date where the veteran defender has been key to consolidating a backline that has lagged behind in the past.
Though a return to finals in 2019 was short-lived, losing in ugly fashion to Greater Western Sydney in an elimination final, the Bulldogs welcomed Alex Keath (Adelaide) and Josh Bruce (St. Kilda), two experienced additions that have also proven critical in their revival.
Though it wasn't so much heralded at the time, with Keath playing 30 games in three years for the Crows, he's transformed into a key defender.
Before a cruel ACL injury suffered in round 21, Bruce was sitting equal-second in the Coleman Medal count, highlighting the strides he's taken in the forward line in his two seasons at Whitten Oval.
After again falling a long way short in the finals last year, the Bulldogs went to the market and picked up Adam Treloar, Stefan Martin and Mitch Hannan.
While Treloar fell into the Bulldogs laps thanks primarily to Collingwood's list mismanagement at the end of 2020, he's added more gloss to an already dynamic midfield bunch and has instantly proven a masterful pick-up.
Meanwhile, Hannan's speed and versatility at half-forward has proven instrumental, and Martin has complemented young tall Tim English at ruck perfectly.
ROOKIES HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
As important as the Bulldogs' trade work in previous years has been to pave the way to this year's grand final, their track record in the draft department has been equally impressive.
While the failed 2017 and 2018 seasons left a scar on the club, it helped them secure two successive top ten picks in Aaron Naughton (pick #9, 2017) and Bailey Smith (pick #7, 2018).
Naughton has become a household name, sitting second on the club's goalkicking charts successively over the past two years, which is remarkable when you think he was brought on as a key defender.
While Smith is rapidly emerging into one of the AFL's elite wingmen, and has been a game-winner for the Bulldogs on several occasions since his debut at the start of last year.
In the last two years, the Dogs have also unearthed Cody Weightman, taken with the 15th pick in the 2019 draft, who had his breakthrough this year, along with prized young forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, who was mostly held back in 2021 but is expected to do big things.
Meanwhile, Tim English (pick #19, 2016), Ed Richards (pick #16, 2017), Patrick Lipinski (pick #28, 2016) are just a handful of other draft selections that have played a key part in carrying the club forward since emerging over the past five years.
TRANSFORMATION OF DALE, DANIEL AS DEFENSIVE ROCKS
As important as the speed with which the Bulldogs' draft class over the last five years has taken to AFL footy, equally impressive has been their ability to move the magnets.
Starting with Caleb Daniel, who after shifting from the midfield to the backline in 2019 has become one of the AFL's most dominant defenders.
The 25-year-old, who was part of the 2016 grand final winning team, has become a pivotal leader and primary playmaker from halfback and looks set for a long career with the Bulldogs.
Then there's Bailey Dale, who after floating on the fringe of the Bulldogs' forward line for the last five years was shifted into the defence this pre-season.
Six months on, the 25-year-old has turned into an All-Australian defender and one of the most important players to the Bulldogs' rapid rise this year.
While despite an ankle injury limiting his game time this year, Josh Schache is another who's shown his versatility defensively as a forward by trade.
Throwing this into a backline unit that already boasts the likes of Duryea, Keath, Zaine Cordy and Bailey Williams and it's easy to see why the Bulldogs' enhanced defence has helped drive their surge towards another shot at a premiership.
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