Geelong and Brisbane will meet in the AFL Grand Final after taking significantly different roads with their recruitment across the past decade and change.
What both clubs have in common is their track record of managing to lure big fish to their respective cities while proving to be able to strengthen their list via the draft.
The Cats separate themselves from the Lions, and just about the rest of the competition, with their knack for finding bargain buys, be that near or far.
Of the side that will take to the MCG on Saturday, six have come as products of the Rookie Draft, while the club has three category B rookie selections - two of which are Irish - and two delisted free agents named.
That crop doesn't include the recruitment of mature-age National Draft selections like Shaun Mannagh and Lawson Humphries, who have proven to be steals as late-round selections.
Others who were on offer to every other club but landed with the Cats via the main draft intake include Gryan Miers (Pick 57, 2017) and Shannon Neale (Pick 33, 2020).
Arguably their most important defensive assets have come via rookie list spot vacancies, with all of Mark Blicavs, Zach Guthrie, Jack Henry and Tom Atkins taken in Rookie Drafts. Rising Star winner Ollie Dempsey and ace small forward Brad Close are the same.
While the Cats are the envy of the competition for their ability to scout and develop talent other clubs might not have even known, their position as a landing spot for rival stars is equally strong.
Captain Patrick Dangerfield will conclude a decade at Kardinia Park when the final siren sounds on Saturday, having started his career with Adelaide before moving to the Cats as one of the AFL's premier players.
Five years later, Jeremy Cameron sought a move to Geelong after a Coleman Medal-winning run with GWS.
Their most recent off-season haul included the recruitment of Bailey Smith, who has taken out All-Australian honours in his maiden campaign in the hoops.
Brisbane, equally, have built a contending list off the back of aggressive trading, luring star talent in Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley and Charlie Cameron to the Queensland capital.
Their poaching of rival players hasn't come without its bargain moves, with Callum Ah Chee and Darcy Fort both holding down key roles in last year's premiership win after starting at Gold Coast and Geelong respectively.
If you want to count the deal that saw Dayne Zorko become a Lion instead of a Sun, then that trade might be the pick of the bunch.
Brisbane's draft, despite some help from father-son and Academy-tied prospects, has been critical in their rise under Chris Fagan.
Logan Morris' selection at Pick 31 in 2023 is emerging as one of the best draft selections of the past decade.
A sweet spot for Brisbane has been their ability to draft eventual stars via the last few selections of the first round, managing to top-up an already-contending list with names who immediately knock on the door for selection.
Zac Bailey (2017), Brandon Starcevich (2017), Darcy Wilmot (2021) and Kai Lohmann (2021) were all taken between Picks 15-20 in their respective classes.
Ruckman Oscar McInerney is the sole Rookie Draft selection who will suit up for Fagan's side this weekend, while utility Bruce Reville has been a great find as an automated rookie pickup from 2023 as a product of the club's Academy.
We won't brush past the draft delights Brisbane have had priority access to, with first-round talent in Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher, Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall all landing in the lap of the Lions.
Ty Gallop (Pick 42, 2024) is another Academy product who looks the goods, while there may be none better to come out of their junior development pathways than co-captain Harris Andrews (Pick 61, 2014).
Here is the full breakdown of each team's list build...
Geelong
Draft
National Draft
Gryan Miers - Pick 57 (2017)
Sam De Koning - Pick 19 (2019)
Max Holmes - Pick 20 (2020)
Shannon Neale - Pick 33 (2020)
Jhye Clark - Pick 8 (2022)
Connor O'Sullivan - Pick 11 (2023)
Shaun Mannagh - Pick 36 (2023)
Lawson Humphries - Pick 63 (2023)
Rookie Draft
Mark Blicavs - Pick 54 (2012)
Jack Henry - Pick 16 (2016)
Zach Guthrie - Pick 33 (2016)
Tom Atkins - Pick 11 (2018)
Brad Close - Pick 14 (2019)
Oliver Dempsey - Pick 13 (2021)
Trade
Rhys Stanley - St Kilda (2014)
Patrick Dangerfield - Adelaide (2015)
Jeremy Cameron - GWS (2020)
Jack Bowes - Gold Coast (2022)
Bailey Smith - Western Bulldogs (2024)
Free Agency
Tyson Stengle - Delisted (2021)
Jack Martin - Delisted (2024)
Other
Mark O'Connor - Category B Rookie (2016)
Oisin Mullin - Category B Rookie (2021)
Brisbane
Draft
National Draft
Ryan Lester - Pick 28 (2010)
Darcy Gardiner - Pick 22 (2013)
Harris Andrews - Pick 61* (2014)
Hugh McCluggage - Pick 3 (2016)
Cameron Rayner - Pick 1 (2017)
Zac Bailey - Pick 15 (2017)
Brandon Starcevich - Pick 18 (2017)
Darcy Wilmot - Pick 16 (2021)
Kai Lohmann - Pick 20 (2021)
Will Ashcroft - Pick 2** (2022)
Jaspa Fletcher - Pick 12** (2022)
Logan Morris - Pick 31 (2023)
Levi Ashcroft - Pick 5** (2024)
Sam Marshall - Pick 25* (2024)
Ty Gallop - Pick 42* (2024)
Rookie Draft
Oscar McInerney - Pick 37 (2016)
Trade
Dayne Zorko - Gold Coast (2011)
Charlie Cameron - Adelaide (2017)
Lachie Neale - Fremantle (2018)
Callum Ah Chee - Gold Coast (2019)
Darcy Fort - Geelong (2021)
Josh Dunkley - Western Bulldogs (2022)
Other
Bruce Reville - Category B Rookie* (2023)
* - Academy Selection
** - Father-Son Selection
