Having gone hammer and tongs in almost every time trial at AFL club GWS, running mates Tom Scully and Adam Tomlinson will square off in the vast expanses of the MCG on Sunday.
Scully, who left GWS to join Hawthorn during last year's trade period, is renowned for being the league's best endurance specialist and once covered a record 18.9km in a game.
Tomlinson, a foundation Giant like Scully, has also loved running since he was a child and the common interest meant the pair bonded upon relocating to western Sydney in 2011.
Scully and Tomlinson, a versatile big man who has found his niche on the wing this season, regularly occupied the podium in club time trials.
But when Tomlinson blitzed the field upon the Giants' return for 2019 pre-season training, the serious ankle injury that threatened to end Scully's career was being feverishly assessed by Hawthorn's medicos.
"Sculls is a good mate. We were all sad to see him go," Tomlinson told AAP.
"He taught us how to play the game the right way. He's a phenomenal person.
"We used to do a lot of running together. He taught me a lot about two-way running, he showed me the ropes when I was 18 and 19.
"I really appreciate everything he's done for me and it's so great to see him playing again, because at one point we feared he might not get back on the park."
Scully, who has played six games for the Hawks, is already being described as a trade steal.
The former No.1 draft pick was exchanged for a future fourth-round selection, partly because of GWS's salary-cap squeeze but also because of the badly broken ankle that ruined Scully's 2018 season.
As is so often the case during the off-season frenzy that unfolds when players are on holiday, the departure of Tomlinson's running mentor was sudden and unexpected.
"I spoke to him over the phone then later we had a bit of time to catch up," the 25-year-old said.
"As is the case with anybody's mate (who joins a rival club), you wish them well and just hope they don't play too well against us."
Scully will play against his former teammates for the first time, potentially going head to head with Tomlinson on the wing.
"I've got a bit of height on him, so maybe I'll try to get the boys to kick it long," Tomlinson quipped.
"Hopefully our inside mids get to work and he doesn't get too much ball.
"But he runs both ways better than anyone in the game. It's going to be a really hard contest."
