Retiring Geelong champion Andrew Mackie admits his AFL mortality has played on his mind over the past fortnight.
The three-time premiership player - along with Tom Lonergan - will retire at season's end. That end will come if the Cats lose to Adelaide in Friday night's preliminary final at Adelaide Oval.
It also might have come last week at the hands of Sydney in a cut-throat semi-final but Geelong bounced back from a qualifying final drubbing to keep their 2017 premiership dream - and Mackie's career - alive.
"I think the excitement of a preliminary final overrides the individual stuff but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think about it a little bit last week," Mackie told Fox Footy's AFL 360.
"Every now and then you think that it could be your last game, but with a job to do you're so structured with your meetings, training and what you've got to do, so that's my thinking.
"There's only one or two games left and I'm hoping it's two."
Mackie, who will play his seventh preliminary final on Friday night, has been an integral part of a stunning period of success for the Cats.
The club has played finals in 12 of his 14 seasons and he has played in winning teams in 207 of his 279 career games.
"It's amazing when you think about it," he said.
"When you grow up barracking for footy in general all you want to do is watch grand finals, finals and all the build-up.
"I've been lucky enough to play in a lot of them."
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