Regrets are an inevitable part of life. They come with the territory of breathing and are a part of the unwritten deal we all sign for the right to exist.
Although some contrition can feel enormous – such as the misery born when a relationship breaks down or after committing a far more criminal act – others are forgotten in the blink of an eye.
In terms of the unpredictable game of football, there are a plethora of scenarios that have made or broken careers.
What if your side picked a different player from a certain draft?
What if your star spearhead had kicked straight when it mattered?
What if an island with a population of just over 10,000 could have kept your side alive?
Well, for fans of every creed we have sought to answer the question that has rankled you for years and kept you up at nights for far too long.
We can't promise that we won't open old wounds, as let's face it, that is the entire point of the exercise.
PART ONE:Â Adelaide, Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions, Carlton
PART THREE:Â Geelong, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, HawthornÂ
PART FOUR: Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond
PART FIVE: Sydney, St Kilda, West Coast, Western Bulldogs
However, if we can help you find closure by looking at the facts and asking what if the doors slid the other way, then we have done our job.
As always, feel free to critique our non-linear traipses, as we are tipping some of you are unlikely to enjoy some of the conclusions we have drawn.
Following on from our first of five instalments, here is part two of the game's greatest 'what ifs' since 1990.
Having travelled back several decades for our past trifecta of sliding door moments, this jaunt into history is a walk to the corner store by comparison.
Although Collingwood supporters – and Eagles fans for that matter – don't require a refresher on what transpired on September 29, 2018 at the Punt Road end of the MCG, you're getting one anyway, so just bite down on something hard.
With two minutes and 17 seconds left on the clock in a decider dominated by Nathan Buckley's black and white clad men, the ball – after being moved in a miraculous chain down the southern wing – found its way inside West Coast's attacking arc for the umpteenth time in the final stanza.
Now, we all know that Dom Sheed's blood runs cold, following his straight as a die drop punt from just in front of Bay 13, but what if the bald Eagle was never afforded the chance to break black and white hearts everywhere? What if the umpire blew his whistle and pointed the other way?
Before Sheed could mark the Sherrin in the forward pocket, there were initially two players standing under the leather ovals drop zone – West Coast's Willie Rioli and the Magpie's Brayden Maynard.
Following the then 23-year-old's fly and grab across the face of this two-man dance card, Maynard let fly at the officiating umpire, Brett Rosebury, motioning that his run at the ball had been impeded by his opponent wearing a blue and gold guernsey.
Despite wild gesticulations, fervent howls and even the Channel 7 commentary in agreement, Rosebury was not buying what Maynard was selling, and the rest became history.
Still, did Maynard have cause for complaint? Did an umpiring decision rob the Magpies of their 16th AFL/VFL flag?
According to the page 49 of the league's ‘Laws of Australian Football 2018' document, rule 15.4.5 part D states that an umpire will pay a free-kick if a player:
‘Unduly pushes, bumps, blocks, holds an opposition Player or deliberately interferes with the arms of an opposition Player, who is in the act of Marking or attempting to Mark the football.'
For anyone that has just returned from Mars or has hung their hat under a boulder for the past 42-months, here is the video of the contest within the contest in question.
As can clearly be seen, Rioli clearly interferes with Maynard getting to the true drop of the ball – this much cannot be argued.
However, what must be mentioned is the idiomatic notion that umpires tend to ‘put the whistle away' in the dying stages of tightly fought, and important, contests.
And with little more than two-minutes left on the clock, two-points the difference and the fact that this was the season's decider, Rosebury would have had to be the owner of granite intestines or a death wish to award Maynard the ball in this particular instance.
Still, this lack of a decision in a game with laws as ambiguous as Australian Rules Football doesn't mean that Maynard wasn't rigor mortis stiff in this particular instance.
In addition to Rosebury's initial non-call, another must also be further inspected – did Dom Sheed actually play on after plucking the pill?
A return to the aforementioned rule book will show us that in 2018, umpires were instructed to ask a player to play on when:
‘The field Umpire is of the opinion that a Player, who has been awarded a Free Kick or a Mark, runs, Handballs or Kicks or attempts to Handball or Kick otherwise than over The Mark'.
With this in mind, it makes it hard for us to critique the field umpire on this occasion, as we are incapable of either telepathy or time travel.
In any case, it was more than likely that momentum carried Sheed away from his direct line to goal, as who in their right mind would play on deliberately in that part of the ground with less than 180-seconds left on the clock?
So, with it decided that Sheed was quite rightfully asked to head back and take his kick, but only after Maynard had a case to be incensed, what would the remainder of the match have looked like if Brett Rosebury, at this juncture, drove a dagger into the aortas of West Coast fans instead?
Prior to this moment in time, the Eagles undoubtedly held the upper-hand.
With the Magpies' lead shrinking incrementally from their game high standing of 29-points up in the 26th minute of the first quarter, West Coast had wandered inside 50 for seven scores in the last term – 2.5.
However, since the opening of the fourth stanza, Collingwood had once again drawn a lead of 12 points following majors from Brody Mihocek and Jordan De Goey.
Although the Eagles were surging, if Rosebury had penalised Rioli and handed Maynard the ball, the Woodsmen's chances of victory would have surged
Across the afternoon, Maynard had spent time on the bench following a collision with Liam Ryan. The defender had also been tasked with manning the high-flyer, as well as his small forward partner, the aforementioned Rioli.
Despite supposedly offering very little across the contest in terms of offense, had Maynard been afforded the opportunity to milk valuable time from the clock, conservative estimations suggest that upwards of 20 seconds would have elapsed by the time the former Sandringham Dragon had found a teammate with his kick.
Had this next link in the chain also taken their time, then another identical block of time would naturally have expired.
But with Adam Simpson's infamous web in place, a long kick down the line would have almost certainly eventuated from here. If any of Collingwood's talls could have plucked a grab from this hypothetical kick, then the game would have been as good as done. If a stoppage were created, and the masses of both side's bodies were dragged towards it, the same outcome would have also appeared likely.
Even if Jeremy McGovern once again rose like a colossus, an identically flawless chain of possessions would need to be replicated, only this time with almost every player on the field clogging the southern side of the ground and the Eagles' route home,
Even though this theory is grounded in reality, a lot can still happen in two minutes – just ask a stock standard couch potato, as it is all they often need to whip up their signature dish.
However, if the final siren sounded, and the bastardised version of ‘Goodbye Dolly Gray' blared across the tannoy, then the complexion of the Collingwood Football Club would appear different on a surface level.
Firstly, Nathan Buckley – possibly the most tortured champion the game has ever known – would have finally got his hands on the premiership trophy – yes, I'm choosing not to count his assistant's role in 2010.
SEE ALSO: What if Nathan Buckley stayed a Bear?
Furthermore, the club that opposition fans delight in destroying for their plethora of past September slip ups would have drawn level with arch enemies Carlton and Essendon as the proud owners of 16 AFL/VFL flags.
In spite of these two positives, the silverware would not have stopped the ‘Do Better' review into the club's past of racial indiscretions.
As this delve would have gone on irrespective of on-field success, then the current lay of the land would also be the point that we would find ourselves at in an alternative reality.
Still, even if the bizzarro world Maggies were sitting on three wins, and rampant talks of coups were still running rife, their coach's seat would in fact feel a tad cooler, as with a flag in his bag just four years earlier, Nathan Buckley would currently have more than just hair in his clenched hands today.
We could have gone in a myriad of different directions with this one. We could have asked ‘what Damien Hardwick's laptop didn't cark it ahead of his pitch to the Bomber board?' We could have also looked at ‘what if Darren ‘Doc' Wheildon wasn't struck down in King Street in 1995?'
However, we have decided to go straight for the jugular.
I'll understand if I am without a head after this one, due to it being a wound that won't close for those that don the sash. However, we're here now, so I may as well press on.
As this dive into the near past involves entering a reality in which any mention of the shady biochemists' name would confuse, rather than enrage, Dons fanatics, this jaunt will involve absolutely no use of the infamous WADA and ASADA acronyms.
In the week between Collingwood and St Kilda's drawn grand final and the ensuing replay in 2010, Essendon took a punt on a man that had long been worshiped in and around Windy Hill to fill their vacant head coaching position.
James Hird – who in September of that year was only five years out of the game – shook hands with the club's hierarchy and agreed to a four-year deal with the club that his family's name will forever be synonymous with.
The 1996 Brownlow medalist's first season at the helm could not have been more even, with the coach leading his side to an 11-win, 11-loss and one draw year. Despite proving to be the league's equivalent of a flipped coin in 2011, Hird's side did manage to return to the finals after missing out the previous season. However, they were bested by the Blues in an elimination final by a resounding 62-points.
With this first calendar year behind him, and the Dons slowly trending towards their 17th ‘preem-ya-ship' flag, Hird and the wider Essendon community could be forgiven for enjoying a slightly more rose-tinted summer than usual.
Still, by the time that the playing group had returned to the track following their Christmas breaks, the narrative had begun to darken.
In January of 2012, the late, and beloved, Essendon team doctor Bruce Reid penned a letter to Hird and the board about his concerns surrounding the supplements that the vast majority of the squad had been injected with the year prior.
Reid reportedly wrote in this document that he was both skeptical about the benefits of the immunisation regimen and that the club's course of action had the potential to end in tears.
Although ultimately prophetic, how had Reid come to this point? When did the Dons decide to start treating their stars like pin cushions?
When Hird walked back through the doors on Napier Street prior to the 2011 season, he was followed by his captain from the 1993 premiership team, Mark ‘Bomber' Thompson.
SEE ALSO: What if Mark Bickley never farted during half-time of the 1993 Preliminary Final?
Thompson - the architect of Geelong's 2007 and 2009 titles - had returned home on a lucrative deal that would see him look over Hird's shoulder during the club's rise back up the ladder.
From a footballing standpoint, ‘Bomber' was an astute hire. However, in hindsight, his appointment could be seen as the point that the Windy Hill side lost its way.
According to primary and secondary reports, it was Thompson who unknowingly set the chain of events in motion that led to the Dons' downfall when he expressed his desire to bring Geelong's former fitness coach, Dean Robinson, into the fold.
It must be mentioned that I am not blaming the two-time premiership coach for what transpired afterwards, but as Robinson's employment led to contact being made with ‘doctor' Dank, whether he likes it or not, he has become a key player in this tragic narrative.
So why not title this portion ‘what if Essendon never hired Mark Thompson?' I hear some of you ask. Well, as mentioned previously, Thompson's role in a purely coaching perspective is crucial to this alternative reality of ours.
Let's say that following the dual hires of Hird and Thompson, the pair still had qualms about their side's spate of soft tissue injuries, as well as their perceived inability to run out games, but instead of looking for a quick fix, an alternative route was taken.
Sure, this may mean that ‘The Weapon' was still brought on board, but for the point of this exercise, let's believe that instead of dialing Dank, the pair put a pin in Robinson's spitball.
If this replacement route was walked instead of the moves in reality, where would the Bombers be now? Would Hird be in the 11th season of his tenure at Tullamarine? Would the club's contemporarily dismal record in finals still remain?
Prior to the club self-reporting to the AFL about the goings-on inside their four walls in February of 2013, the partnership of Hird and Thompson had combined for 22 wins, and prior to the roof falling in on August 2, 2013, a further 13 were added from another 17 starts.
The Bombers were truly flying, as evidenced by their occupation of the ladder's fourth rung before the league hit them with simultaneous jabs, upper cuts and a knock out hook.
Now, we all know about the messy fallout and the ambiguity surrounding any supposed evidence, but I'll have to quickly run though the checklist of punishments again.
The Bombers were fined $2 million over three seasons, their invitation to participate in the 2013 finals series was revoked, Hird and Danny Corcoran were suspended for 12 months and 34 players were suspended for two seasons for participating in the program - a portion of which was backdated
The club was also prohibited from using their first and second round picks in both the 2013 and 2014 national drafts.
Had the Bombers maintained their form before these sanctions, a final position of anywhere between fourth and eighth in 2013 seems more than a distinct possibility. For the purposes of this project, I have granted them a conservative sixth place finish for this particular season.
With this in mind, the Dons could have realistically had access to players such as Dom Sheed, Patrick Cripps, Matt Crouch, Jarman Impey, Aliir Aliir, Ben Brown, Toby Nankervis, James Sicily and Darcy Byrne-Jones. However, Essendon did manage to snare Zach Merrett and Orazio Fantasia following their delayed entry to the pool.
Had the Bombers again repeated their home and away season finish of sixth in 2014, then names like Isaac Heeney, Jack Steele, Jake Lever, Lachie Weller, Touk Miller, Brayden Maynard, Caleb Daniel, Harris Andrews, Dougal Howard and Ed Langdon could all have feasibly landed at Bomberland.
Despite this, Essendon's list manager, Adrian Dodoro, was able to move pieces around and select Kyle Langford and Jayden Laverde instead.
In addition to this, if the club had not been sanctioned for their illegal immunisation practices, names like Paddy Ryder, Stuart Crameri and even Angus Monfries could also have finished their careers inside a red sash.
SEE ALSO: The incredible numbers behind Essendon's turnaround
In a move that incensed those that back the Bombers, the sorry saga also saw Jobe Watson lose his Brownlow medallion. But had the club not fallen to the foot of the table following a season in which top-up players were required just to stay on the park, then current fan favourites such as Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Andrew McGrath would have almost certainly never become Bombers.
The ensuing decline of Hird's mental health would have also been spared, but in respect to a fellow human being's privacy, I'll leave this train stationary.
With Hird's coaching record standing at 41 wins, 43 losses and a draw before he was marched out the door, the numbers point to the fact that the club legend could coach. Had the Canberran been afforded the opportunity to stay in his post, and had access to some of the aforementioned draftees, then there is no telling how long the Bomber's golden-haired boy could have remained in the role.
Even though the nuts and bolts of this game altering series of moments are plain to see, how one wishes to alternatively assemble them is up to the individual.
Some Essendon fans believe that their side was cheated out of a 17th flag, and this may well be true. Whilst others, often those that pray at a different alter, believe that other sides of yesteryear would have continued to reign supreme in Septembers past.
Like the episode on the whole, we will probably never get to the bottom of exactly what happened and, in turn, what could have happened, but one thing is for sure, had Stephen Dank's digits never been dialed by anyone in a plane adorned polo, then the club's current drought of September success would have been broken by now.
Fitzroy?
Nauru?
I'm sure I have vexed a few ‘zoomers' with this particular question, but as far-fetched as it all sounds, the Oceanic microstate was a key player in Fitzroy's final pair of campaigns in the mid-90s.
Despite the absurdity of these circumstances, for us to truly understand how an island that is covered in a thick layer of bird poo helped one of the league's foundation clubs almost stay afloat, we'll need to start at the beginning.
Prior to the 1995 AFL season, the Fitzroy Lions - by then the competition's nomads – were like Mark Knopfler, in that they were, well and truly, in dire straits.
Following a trifecta of scuppered mergers with Melbourne, St Kilda and Footscray, a pair of thwarted interstate ventures to Tasmania and the ACT and fleets of integral players having jumped from the sinking ship, Fitzroy was in desperate need of a saviour.
And in the early stages of 1995, this rescuer looked likely to come in the form of the phosphate-rich and cashed-up Nauruans.
Later that same year, Nauru agreed to grant the Lions a seven-year loan worth over one-million Australian dollars at the time. In exchange, politician Kinza Clodumar was granted a seat on the ailing club's board.
In an effort to generate funds to pay both the instalments to the island republic, as well as the interest on top of it, the eight-time VFL premiers constructed the ‘Fitzroy Foundation' to create ties with businesses and start to boost their bottom line.
The major relationship that was created from this collection of Lions supporters was between the Nauruans and Melbourne-based developers Grocon – the company responsible for the construction of Crown casino.
Although this may sound like a day time movie plot, things only became more abstract when the aforementioned pair shook hands and decided to redevelop the Carlton United Breweries site in Abbotsford.
With the above project looking likely to commence, Fitzroy, under the presidency of Dyson Hore-Lacy, sought to gain sponsorships from both Nauru and Grocon in deals that would be worth a combined $1m per year.
With the club's then sponsor - QUIT - having halved their financial commitment to the club that very year, any influx of funds would have been welcomed gleefully by Hore-Lacy's administration.
However, on the 28th of November 1995, the proverbial excrement hit the fan when Clodumar's affiliates lost power in his homeland.
Following this political ousting, Nauru's new governers concluded that any projects that were then being undertaken were to be halted and audits into every single one of their offshore ventures were to be conducted. In the fallout from this, Nauru was given legal advice that it would be improper to continue propping up an insolvent business such as the Lions.
However, Fitzroy quickly retorted that they were in fact solvent, and directors began paying player's wages from their own pocket to help keep the terms of the loan agreement viable.
Sadly, these moves meant that the once-proud club had to go cap in hand to Ross Oakley's AFL commission for one final handout that was reportedly worth $750k.
Oakley – by then fervently keen to merge underperforming teams in an effort to expand the competition – told the Lions that if this lump sum was not paid back in full by the completion of the year, then a league-appointed administrator would be put in place to run the club.
Due to this, Fitzroy opened talks with North Melbourne about the possibility of a merger.
Alright, let's come up for air for a minute, as I can hear you all asking, ‘what does this have to do with football?'
Well, with the discourse open between the Lions and Roos, the face of the current competition could have appeared completely different had the money men of a territory less than 22 square kilometres in size held off on asking for their money back.
In 1996, the league was offering a fund of $6 million to any teams that decided to align themselves for the start of the following season, and with both Fitzroy and North Melbourne then unlikely to ever be misconstrued for a pair of financial powerhouses, the pair decided to jump into bed together.
With this multi-million-dollar package in mind, the Victorian clubs set about settling the semantics of the deal. In primary reports of the day, these initial talks went well, but when Nauru officially called in their debts, further faeces covered the rotating blades attached to the ceiling.
What ensued was a back-and-forth rally between Fitzroy and their would-be saviour that would have made Borg and McEnroe proud.
Instead of reporting the entirety of the drawn-out proceedings, here are the highlights of a back-and-forth contest that would have had paying members of any grand slam final crowd beaming.
On June 26, 1996, Fitzroy tabled an offer of $550k plus a further two instalments of $100k in as many years to settle their $1.25 million debt to Nauru, but as the nation deemed this short of requirements, the first offer was rejected, with Nauruan officials requiring and initial sum of $750k to be paid by the end of August that year, plus an additional three instalments of $100k down the track.
Despite this stance, the Nauru insurance company backpedaled 24 hours later and stated that the third of these aforementioned trio of instalments would only have to total $50k.
A further day later, Fitzroy tabled their second offer of $550k by the completion of August, $150k the following year and $100,000 in 1998.
It was here that Nauru decided to appoint Michael Brennan – who reportedly arrived unannounced at the club's pub headquarters – to act as the administrator tasked with recovering their debt.
At this stage, North Melbourne board member Peter De Rauch had become involved in proceedings and stated that if the proposed merger between the Lions and Roos was to take place, then the Arden Street club could not sign off on anything more than a single debt clearing payment of $550,000 AUD -Â a serious sticking point that would have future ramifications.
With this in mind, Fitzroy notified Nauru and Brennan that any funds owed beyond this proposed cut-off point would be underwritten by them and them alone.
By the start of July, talks between North and Fitzroy had begun to go south, as Hore-Lacy and the rest of the Lions board were told in no uncertain terms that they would not have a seat at the merged entity's table.
SEE ALSO: What if the AFL allowed the Lions to play a home Preliminary Final in 2004?
Only days later, Nauru finally agreed to close the debt once $550,000 was paid before the end of August of that year, a further $350,000 by the completion of October 1997 and the remainder of the million-dollar loan was cleared in annual instalments of $50,000 from 1998 onwards.
With this deal struck, Nauru's knife receded from the Roys' throat, however, the league's dagger was still present, as was their question – who would they merge with?
As their back was almost through the wall, Fitzroy had very little agency in this decision, but in a league that had developed into rich business over the course of the previous decade, parties from right across the spectrum were more than keen to throw their two cents into the debate.
For the Lions' small, but loyal membership base, a merger with North Melbourne that allowed the club to remain in Victoria was seen as ideal - a view the club's board agreed with.
For the Roos, the same applied, as it would allow the then on-field powerhouse access to further playing talent and an inflated salary cap for the 1997 season.
For the competition's other clubs, this idea of this ‘super team' with a list of around 50-players frightened them, and their collective preference was for the Lions and Bears to wed.
This same sentiment was echoed by the league themselves.
These points of view all came to a head on July 4, 1996, when Fitzroy and North Melbourne agreed to join for the following season, with the league set to sign off on the deal the following morning.
However, in a last-ditch effort to sink the deal, representatives of the competition's other sides met and shot the proposal dead by voting for their preferred arranged marriage – a request that the league gleefully signed off on just after sundown.
Now, we all know that the Brisbane Lions went on to become one of the greatest team's in Australian Rules history, but if not for semantical bickering about colours, squad sizes and finances that could have been covered with the league's multi-million dollar merger grant, the lay of the land could have looked a hell of a lot different and plenty of shed tears could have been spared.
During the 1996 season, Fitzroy - who was playing with the house's money – was reportedly in $4.5 million of debt, had less than 8,000 paid-up members and would only win once for the year.
There is no doubting that with these factors in mind, and the league's boss circling them like a vulture, even the most eternal of optimists would have admitted that the AFL's centenary season was always going to be the Roys' last at the level.
However, had the landscape of Oceanic politics been a tad more stable, other clubs been more accommodating, and a country that burnt through their funds like tailored cigarettes on a worksite had delayed on reeling in their debts, then the North-Fitzroy Football Club could well be kicking goals in today's competition.
I have to admit that I was very keen to run with ‘what if Fremantle decided upon a different nickname?' for this portion, but aside from simple branding differences, I concluded that the club's history would have remained relatively similar.
However, as a club that has only ever played in one grand final in their history, my query has to become centered around that particular moment in time.
After dispatching fellow top four finishers Geelong and Sydney in September of 2013, the Fremantle Dockers were afforded their first opportunity to add something tangible to their trophy case when they faced off against Hawthorn in the season's final game.
Having never made it to the oft-titled ‘big dance' in their previous 18 campaigns, the Dockers were predictably nervous against their more seasoned avian opponents, and showed as much by producing just two scoring shots to the Hawks' five in the first term.
Frustratingly for head coach Ross Lyon, both of the westerner's strikes at goal ended in behinds, whilst Hawthorn - the year's leading side – was good enough to finish the stanza with 2.3 on the board.
This failure to convert continued throughout the second term, with Lyon's men entering the sheds with a wasteful 1.6 to their name as opposed to the Waverley-based club's 5.5.
Although the routinely maligned expansion franchise would eventually split the sticks for a second time in the second minute of the third term, and would eventually draw within three points of their opponents in the 25th minute of the ‘premiership quarter', by the time the siren sounded to end the third term, the Dockers were back down by double digits.
Following an Alastair Clarkson rev-up at the final break, Hawthorn proceeded to post the next six scoring shots of the game at a coin flip conversion rate of 50 per-cent.
In spite of this, the Fremantle continued to fight and produced the final six scores of the game.
However, when the final hooter blew, and the Hawks had claimed the first of their impending three-peat of flags, the margin sat at 15 points despite both teams finishing with 22 shots that registered a score.
Now, it wouldn't take a NASA-trained technician to see where I am going with this, especially as I have already provided you with the question we are dissecting in bold print on this very page.
Still, if the club that is currently competing in their 27th season had converted their shots at better than 37 per-cent when it mattered most in their 19th, would they still be searching for their inaugural flag?
To aid in our attempts to change history, or at least provide an alternative to reality, let's go to the tape and see where the Dockers were anything but deadly when facing goal.
As can be seen from this trimmed footage, Nat Fyfe – at that stage Brownlow-less – produced a pair of the ugliest set shots in Grand Final history, either one of which would have erased any lead that the Hawks then held.
Nonetheless, as the above vision is part of a ‘highlights' package, we are unlikely to be subjected to a constant stream of Fremantle failures, are we?
SEE ALSO: What if the Bluebaggers were never caught with brown paper bags?
To gain a deeper understanding of whether or not the Dockers could, and should, have broken their drought on September 28, 2013, one can either re-watch the entire contest and run a fine-tooth comb across every attempt at goal, or they could save their time and consult those in the know that were there on the day.
According to Champion Data – the official supplier of statistics for the AFL – Fremantle should have won the 2013 decider by a margin of six points.
As numerically minded folk, you would expect the aforementioned company to show their work, and that is just what analyst Glenn Luff did in February of 2014.
“Based on the AFL average across the shots that they had, Freo should have won,'' Luff told the Herald Sun.
“It felt like Hawthorn was in control for most of the game, but you look at the raw numbers and it was all pretty close.
“Hawthorn nailed them and Freo didn't.''
After examining the distance and angle each shot was taken at, as well as the perceived pressure each kicker was under, Champion Data came to the conclusion that had the Dockers taken their chances, the final scoreboard would have read 14.10 (94) to 12.10 (88) in their favour.
This final scoreline is even starker in the cold light of day when you consider that in reality, Fremantle's half-time total of 12 points was at that stage the lowest score for any side at that stage of a Grand Final for 53 years.
With Fremantle producing five more shots on goal than Hawthorn – 29 to 24  – Luff and his team placed a sizeable portion of the blame at the feet of Hayden Ballantyne and Nat Fyfe, as the pair combined for just under a quarter of the Dockers' total shots (7), yet only managed a paltry 0.3 between them.
Fyfe's failures in front of goal were only compounded by the fact that up until the final afternoon of the season he had converted a dead-eyed 12.1 in 2013.
“My goalkicking hasn't let me down all year and it sort of did today,'' the then budding star said in the immediate aftermath of the loss.
“I can't put it down to anything. There's no real excuse. It just didn't go right on the day.''
Although Luffs' weighted opinion answers our question, all it is likely to do for members of the ‘Purple Haze' is to open their most painful shared wound.
Still, with Justin Longmuir's side slowly trending upwards, and Fyfe still the club's most vital cog, the Lake Grace lad may yet get his chance at atonement before the sun sets on his already tremendous career.
In addition to the fact that their trophy case would no longer be bare, Lyon's game style that saw him fall short at the final hurdle on three occasions in two seasons at St Kilda would have been vindicated, so the question also needs to be asked – would Longmuir even be in his current post?
However, even though this is a curly question that deserves an answer, it is one that we will save for another day.