One of the AFL's oldest theories has been debunked.
The unwritten rule was: don't play underdone footballers.
But in the opening four finals, underdone players were pivotal. And coaches who gambled, rolling the dice against the odds, came up trumps.
There were the heroic (Toby Greene). The stoic (Tyson Goldsack).
Zac Williams. Jack Viney. Josh Kennedy. Adam Treloar. James Sicily. Brett Deledio - all entered the finals with fitness question marks; all delivered emphatic answers.
GWS star Greene had missed three matches because of a hamstring strain. And played only seven games all season.
He came back, collected 27 disposals, kicked 3.3 along with eight inside 50s in the Giants' elimination final belting of Sydney.
"It was a phenomenal effort," his coach Leon Cameron said.
His teammate Williams hadn't featured in AFL ranks all year after rupturing an Achilles tendon in January. On return: 23 disposals, nine marks, four tackles.
Another Giant, Deledio, had been sidelined three games by a calf complaint - and also missed 10 games from round seven. He had 22 disposals, seven marks and five inside 50s.
Add Matt de Boer, the Giant sidelined since round 20, to the list: 22 disposals, five inside 50s.
"You pick them with confidence after what we had seen (at training) but there's always a little bit of doubt," Cameron said.
"They all contributed in a manner like they had played for a month,."
In Perth, West Coast forward Kennedy, who had missed the past five matches because of a fractured shin, booted two goals from six scoring shots.
Kennedy was instrumental in the Eagles' final-term flurry which delivered a 16-point qualifying final triumph against Collingwood.
But early, he was well held by Magpie Goldsack, who also hadn't played all season after a knee reconstruction in March.
"(Goldsack) was a large part of the reason why we were in a winning position at three quarter-time," Magpies coach Nathan Buckley said.
Goldsack's teammate Treloar had missed the past nine games because of a hamstring tear. His comeback netted 24 disposals.
Another Magpie, Jeremy Howe, was summoned after a four-match absence because of a thigh injury and gathered 16 disposals and six marks.
Then there's Melbourne co-captain Jack Viney, absent for the two months before the finals because of a toe injury. He had 20 disposals and laid 11 tackles in a knockout victory against Geelong.
"I was always fully confident I was going to get back to play. It was just whether or not I would run out of time if we didn't make finals," Viney said.
And Hawthorn's Sicily, sidelined for the last six home-and-away games because of a fractured wrist, also made an impact in his side's qualifying final loss to Richmond - 21 possessions and eight rebounds from his side's defensive 50m arc.
