The Brisbane Lions are only part of the way there, but coach Chris Fagan believes his side are slowly but surely gaining the respect of the competition.
After wins over Fremantle, Carlton and Hawthorn, the Lions will be hungry to make it four in a row against Adelaide on Saturday night - something the club hasn't achieved since 2010.
In a week when supporters and media from Australia-wide have been praising the Lions far more than any other period this decade, Fagan said he was glad for the players to "enjoy their moment".
"It's probably been a foreign concept for this group to win matches in a row, so it's been interesting to see how they've coped with it," Fagan said at his weekly press conference on Friday.
"The media and the attention around the footy club has changed, so I wonder what we'll be saying tomorrow night at the end of it. Did we cope with it, didn't we?
"If publicity is something we have to learn to cope with, that means we're becoming a better club.
"I think they're enjoying their moment, and there's nothing wrong for a group that has been down a long, long time to feel the joy that you feel from winning on a regular basis.
"We'll see tomorrow night whether they've coped with the week or not, but I'm pretty confident they'll be able to show the form they've displayed in the last three weeks."
Fagan said internally that nothing has really changed. He expected this improvement from his team over the home stretch of the season, and is happy that the results have been coming in.
Much like toward the start of the season, he was recording statistics such as quarters won, points conceded, and uncontested possession more so than the wins or losses.
The Lions have rightfully pointed to development in these areas through the season, and Fagan said the marked improvement certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by opposition sides.
