GEELONG was coasting in the fourth quarter on its way to a final-round 75-point win over Sydney, but Georgie Prespakis was in significant pain.
Having been brought down in a tackle while running at full speed, the young Cats star went over on her ankle.
The club's second-ever AFLW finals series was within touching distance.
While Prespakis ultimately played in the two-point elimination final loss to North Melbourne the following week, she was restricted to a season-low 14 disposals.
"I definitely don't feel like I was at my best. I was really disappointed after the game, and that was more so because I wanted to put in a whole lot more than I was able to," Prespakis told womens.afl.
"Overall, I still feel like I did my part and I did what I could, however, I still would have loved to have done more, but I suppose that's everyone after you lose a final.
"A lot of [the recovery] was ice and not moving, but at the same time I had to keep moving it to get it functioning. A lot of it was with the physio and trying to get out on the track and doing skills as much as I could, without my foot.
"There wasn't a heap I could do. I was definitely in a lot of pain, I would have liked to have not done it, but it happened, and it was just something I had to work through. I was still fortunate enough that I was still able to play."
The game itself saw the Cats revert into their shells in the face of the physical Kangaroos, scoring 1.8 from a whopping 41 inside 50s as they struggled to find a clear path to goal.
"In games like that, we need to be more attacking and take the game on," Prespakis said.
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"I think there was so much opportunity where we could have taken a risk, and we probably would have got the reward for that. It was just a matter of time where it was going to break the game open."
Prespakis finished second in Geelong's best and fairest, just four votes off Amy McDonald and a whopping 56 ahead of third-place Nina Morrison.
She was also awarded the "grit award", a player-voted honour based on tackles, smothers, intercepts, gut-running and pressure acts.
It was partly a consequence of the successive seasons in one year, benefiting the 20-year-old after her debut last January, with Prespakis' average disposal rising from 13.3 to 21.8.
"Personally, I loved it. Season one, I was a little bit slow to get started, and it gave me the ability to have a little bit of time in between and build on what I wanted," she said.
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"Physically and mentally, going into my second season I wanted to be really prepared. It just gave me the ability to play a lot more footy, find my feet and gain experience.
"Coming off the Vic Metro pathway, it's a bit unusual to only play 10 games in a season, because you're used to playing so much footy, so I really enjoyed that."
Prespakis has now made the jump from elite junior talent – winning the then-NAB League under-18 best and fairest at 16 – to established AFLW star, but it wasn't without its speedbumps.
"I'll be honest, at times, it was actually really difficult. I think a big part of that is the mental side of things," she said.
"I think internally, I put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to be able to do well for not only myself, but for those around me, and I want to play my role for the team.
"My first season wasn't where I wanted it to be, but I understand I went from playing against girls to playing against women. I think physically, your fitness and strength isn't where you want it to be and you think you can come in and make an immediate impact.
"I wasn't able to do that and, for me, I just felt like I wasn't able to play my part. I'm sure in some ways I was.
"Whereas season two, I went out there a little more confident in myself and it went a long way."
