Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver played just six days after secret surgery for a broken finger, recovering to play his part in the Demons' record AFL win.
The long-suffering Demons belted Carlton by 109 points on Sunday, their biggest win since a 1993 defeat of Richmond.
And by rights, Oliver should have been watching from the stands.
The 20-year-old was outed by his coach Simon Goodwin as having sustained the injury in the club's win over Gold Coast a week prior.
"It hasn't been well documented but he broke his finger last week," Goodwin said.
"He had an operation on Monday and he got up for this week's game ... it's a credit to Clayton and it's a credit to our medical department."
Playing with a glove, Oliver battled through to be one of the Demons' most prolific ball-winners.
And he didn't shy away from the rough stuff, with 15 contested possessions and four tackles.
"To be able to have this sort of procedure done and still play, you wouldn't have even noticed with Clayton the way he goes about his footy," he said.
"Clayton, right from he outset was keen to play.
"Not just play, he wanted to play well.
"It comes down to the athlete's mindset and his was outstanding."
