TOM HICKEY, the one-time journeyman who has jumped up to be one of the most reliable ruckmen in the competition, is just 48 hours away from possibly capping off his dramatic career resurgence with a premiership medal.
The 2022 Grand Final will be just the 139th AFL game for the 31-year-old Hickey, who has been on a 12-year journey that has taken in four clubs in four states and ultimately led him to the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
It's a feat he's still struggling to fully comprehend.
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"After the game (last weekend), I had a few mates just saying they couldn't believe it and I was sitting there a bit overawed by it all," he told AFL.com.au.
"(I was) just pinching myself. I'm grateful, but we're not done. If you're going to make it, you might as well win one. It's too far to go to lose one."
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The Brisbane product showed signs in his stints at Gold Coast, St Kilda and West Coast that he could be a top flight AFL ruck at some stage, and he's credited arguably the greatest ruckman ever with helping to bring out the best of him, and on a consistent basis.
"(Swans assistant) Dean Cox being a midfield coach that used to be a ruckman has really helped, and really helped me," Hickey said.
"But I think just having the belief of the players and the coaching staff just to do what I do. Which is nothing special, it's just to try my hardest and try and quell the influence of the other ruckman, and just having that belief in myself that I can have an influence on games.
Despite Hickey's excellent 2021 season, the Swans still through him a challenge coming into this year with Peter Ladhams recruited from Port Adelaide to contest the lead ruck role.
While Ladhams had had issues due to injury and suspension, most notably in the finals, the duel for ruck supremacy at Sydney has brought out the best in the incumbent.
"I'm not getting younger, and they were pretty open with it," Hickey said of Sydney's decision to recruit Ladhams.
"They said, 'Look mate, you've had a good year but ruckmen don't grow on trees and there's one here for us to take'.
"Competition for spots is good for the club. It's hard at training when you've got someone breathing down your neck. Apart from a few minor indiscretions, he's been really good and it's been making me play my best footy as well."
While Hickey's career transformation has been impressive, there aren't many resurgences in the AFL as remarkable as that of teammate Paddy McCartin, and the two former Saints are revelling in a situation they never thought would have been possible.
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"He's a good mate of mine. He came to my wedding back in 2018, and I've got to spend a lot of time with him at St Kilda and through to now," Hickey said.
"We've embraced each other the last couple of games, and just smelt the roses together. Just saying that we can't believe this.
"I remember speaking to him before round one, asking if he was nervous. He just said, 'Not really - I'm just so lucky that I'm out here playing footy'.
"It just really resonated with me that he's just so well-balanced now and he's just matured so well. I'm just so lucky that I've been able to share a part of my football journey with him."
The other major journey in Hickey's life of late has been as a dad of three young children under three years of age. His emotion for his family was clear in a post-match interview after the qualifying final win over Melbourne, when his twin girls were in hospital at the time.
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They're thankfully in good health now and all three kids will be heading to Melbourne with wife Chloe for the clash with the Cats.
"Yeah, good luck to her. She's been unbelievable," he said.
"Being a footballer's wife can be quite isolating, but the club's been incredible and she's just been an absolute warrior through this year. She's just excited as anyone, so I'm so grateful to have her in my life.”
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And while he's setting himself for a family celebration for the ages on Saturday, he's well aware of the challenge his Swans - riding a nine-game winning streak - will face against a Cats side that has won 15 straight.
"You can't win forever, so one of us has got to lose," he said. "But we're not going down there to just make up the numbers. We think we're a chance, and we're going to put our best foot forward. It's one game, you have a swing and see how you go."
