NEXT Friday night, Geelong's comeback kid Dan Menzel will play his first final since his first serious knee injury five years ago.
In an uncanny coincidence he will take the field on the same date, against the same opponent, at the same venue, and once again in a qualifying final.
That does not perturb the resilient 24-year-old, who has remained driven by the thought of once again playing finals throughout his four knee reconstructions.
And the prospect of playing Hawthorn at the MCG on a Friday night in September has him excited.
"I would not want any other game in any other timeslot," he told AFL.com.au.
Immediately after the siren went to end Geelong's home and away season, Menzel began to think about what lay ahead as much as what had gone before.
"That [playing finals] has been my biggest driver and motivator," Menzel said.
"To get through the game, have a win and play my role …the realisation was there then that I will actually be there in a week and a bit and get to play my first final in five years.
"I don't think I have been happier this year to be honest."
Only Menzel knows how rocky his journey has been, but a reference back to that game where he first did his knee shines a light on how much he has missed.
The Cats added the 2011 flag to their 2007 and 2009 triumphs while Hawthorn returned from the 2008 premiership won ahead of time to win three flags between 2013-2015.
Dan Menzel helped onto a stretcher in the 2011 qualifying final. Picture: AFL Photos
It means every player who played in that 2011 qualifying final except Menzel, Brendan Whitecross and Tom Murphy can now call themselves premiership players.
Of course, Whitecross had two knee reconstructions since to miss out on the Hawks' three flags, while Murphy headed to Gold Coast.
Through hard work Whitecross – a similarly resilient character to Menzel – is likely to line up against Geelong on Friday night.
If any more evidence is needed, then it's worth recalling the player closest to Menzel that fateful night five years ago was a young Hawk Paul Puopolo, who was playing his 18th game and first final.
Puopolo has since played in three flags, four Grand Finals, five preliminary finals and 89 wins in the next 113 games.
Menzel has now played in 19 games since for 36 goals and is about to resume finals footy.
Such reminders can be hard for Menzel to hear but his attitude to them is incredible.
"I've put in such hard work and it is starting to pay off so you look at the negatives and the downside but it just makes you flat and doesn't get you anywhere," Menzel said.
"They pop into your head but I try to move on and think about the exciting times hopefully to come."
The first of those exciting times will be in the rooms before the game next Friday night.
He said it will not be just him revelling in the moment but many of the teammates he shared rehab with over the journey such as Josh Cowan and Lincoln McCarthy.
"We have looked out at the guys playing and gone 'I wonder if that will ever be us'. To be able to share it with those guys," he said.
Menzel can picture that moment as he speaks but says such tales can be told by many of his teammates.
"We've got a lot of great stories in our side and lots of stories of persistence, with guys who have finally made it and never give up," Menzel said.
Menzel certainly hasn't given up but he doesn't think he has made it yet as a player.
He acknowledges that 32 goals in 17 games this season is a reasonable effort but he is not satisfied.
"I still have my expectations and know what I can get to," Menzel said.
He has vice like hands and is opportunistic on the ground. His straight kicking has returned and he competes harder than a flock of seagulls chasing a potato chip.
That competitive spirit has got him back to this point despite enduring what his coach Chris Scott imagines were many lonely moments.
He has used his experience to support others, with his Mental Toughness, Mental Fortitude website helping those who suffer serious knee injuries.
"I have had so many hurdles and overcome them so far," Menzel said.
Now he gets to enjoy a chance to do what Scott believes he is built for: to excel in big games
"He loves the big moment," the Cats coach said.
"We're really confident that when the stakes are at their highest he will perform at his best."
A flag is up for grabs and skipper Joel Selwood said the team is on a mission.
Menzel is ready to fly.
"We're so excited," he said.
