Geelong talisman Patrick Dangerfield, mere hours after his 20th season was confirmed, showed signs of the wear elite, combative football can have on an ageing body.
Now a habitual forward, the usually powerful Cat laboured around the front half of the MCG, having little to no impact on his side's victory over the surprise packet Demons.
He told broadcasters post-match that it was a knock to the shin, which bled into his calf, while coach Chris Scott offered that there was some hip soreness experienced by his eight-time All-Australian, too.
"He had a little bit of calf tightness, but the biggest issue that was related to us was the hip. You might have seen him fall forward (in a tackle) and it jarred his hip a bit," Scott said.
"He looked too sore, in my view, to keep him out there, and we tried to keep him off, but he just ran back on the ground, which you know, he's the boss.
"Too early for me (to tell if he'll play next week) – every now and then I speculate, but when I do it's generally a mistake."
A forced absence for the former Brownlow Medallist would compound injury woes further at the Cattery. Friday's victory was impressive as it was, with crucial pieces Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron resigned to spectating roles through injuries of their own.
A Collingwood side that gave the rest of the competition little reason to fear it in the season's early sledding has reeled off six consecutive victories, with Thursday's ambush of the Adelaide Crows the most telling of the lot.
Geelong and Collingwood are no strangers to meetings of consequence, nor a classic match, and their Thursday rendezvous looks set to tick both of those boxes and then some, regardless of Dangerfield's availability, such are the implications.
The Magpies sit seventh at the time of writing, with the Cats nibbling at their heels, in eighth. The Demons, currently sixth, appear vulnerable after last night's loss, with the winner of Thursday's clash odds-on favourites to usurp the Demons inside the top six.
Of the jostling trio, Collingwood have the hardest fixture remaining, with Geelong, West Coast, Hawthorn and Brisbane populating most of their remaining schedule. The Demons face Gold Coast, Fremantle, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in their run home, while the Cats have been blessed, with Collingwood their only stiff challenge as September approaches. After renewing hostilities with the black and white, the Cats face the lowly Essendon, North Melbourne and current wooden spoon favourites, Richmond.
