Travis Varcoe knows everything about AFL finals - how to win them, how much it hurts to lose and what it's like to go without them.
As the 30-year-old Collingwood forward prepares for his 200th game, he is also on the verge of breaking an unexpected September drought.
Unless something goes horribly wrong for the Magpies over the next fortnight, Varcoe will play in his first finals series since 2014.
Finals had become a given for Varcoe at Geelong, where he played in their 2009 and 2011 premiership teams.
In eight seasons with the Cats, he played in 17 finals and also was a member of their losing 2008 grand final side.
"It's what we play for, but as I learned, all you do is give yourself an opportunity to contend," said Varcoe, who reaches the landmark on Saturday against Port Adelaide at the MCG.
"We still have this week and next week to worry about. It's business as usual."
While the Magpies haven't been able to draw on his finals experience until now, coach Nathan Buckley said Varcoe still has had a massive influence at Collingwood.
"His immediate impact was huge. He came into the club really took our training intensity to another level with the way he attacked his first pre-season and the expectations he brought," Buckley said.
"His understanding of being part of a multiple premiership program and being a multiple premiership player, that was no surprise, the impact he had.
"That's continued through his four years here.
"Moving into (this) part of the year, Trav's perspective has been really important for me as much as for the players."
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