Geelong mastermind Chris Scott left some tactical aces up his proverbial sleeve when the Cats lost to Fremantle by nine points at Optus Stadium in Round 15, but will we see them on Friday night in a do-or-die semi-final?
Scott did not employ a tag to any of the Dockers' litany of stars, with Luke Jackson (three goals and 28 touches), Andrew Brayshaw (35 possessions and four clearances), Murphy Reid (27 disposals, eight score involvements and a goal) and Caleb Serong - noted by the Cats coach himself - running riot.
Geelong run-with players Oisin Mullin, Mark O'Connor and Mark Blicavs stuck firm to their respective lines despite their excellent, proven ability to curb the opposition's best players.
Was this in anticipation of a potential finals match-up?
Well, Scott and Geelong had their wish granted, with the pair of contenders preparing for battle in the finals series.
Let's review what the two-time premiership coach said in the aftermath of the June clash.
"Pretty high-standard game," Scott said.
"Sometimes the hotter the game, the more obvious the execution issues. It looked like two good teams, challenging the other in different ways.
"Obviously, they've been going well. The win-loss is obvious there. I think it's a bit deeper than that.
"I don't think we will come away from the game devastated with where we are at. I always hesitate, because in the immediate aftermath you feel that we had the chance to win the game.
"But if you take a step back, I suspect our takeaway will be we can have a crack at it, and that's very easy to say, and hard to do in this competition. There is an argument that it doesn't matter how easily you get to that point of contention - the thing that matters is ‘do you get there?' and we think we've got that opportunity in front of us."
Scott was specifically quizzed on whether he'd held back some strategies and plans that could be deployed on Friday.
"We're not that good that we'd be holding back things because we know we're going to get a chance against them again (in finals)," he said.
"The difference between being way out in front on top of the ladder and being fourth is not that great. The advantage you get is a home final, which doesn't necessarily get it done for you.
"Things change so quickly. This is far from the reason we didn't win the game, but when the margins are tight, closely matched opposition, you come away thinking we're not that far off them. But (Caleb) Serong in, was really good for them. And it's hard not to think we'd like to have Bailey (Smith) and Tom Stewart.
"The secret is to take the game on its merits."
The Cats have five changes from the last time they met Fremantle.
Bailey Smith headlines the inclusions, with Tom Stewart, Brad Close, Gryan Miers and Jay Polkinghorne named for the semi-final.
Jack Martin, Jack Bowes, Jake Kolodjashnij, Sam De Koning and George Stevens made the trip to the west in June, but won't be taking the field on Friday.
Whether Geelong actually held something back in Round 15 will only become clear once the much-anticipated contest gets underway.
But it wouldn't be a shock if we witness some Scott mind games. After all, he's been playing them since 2011.
