Damien Hardwick's bold decision to select foundation Suns player David Swallow for the elimination final against Fremantle was more than just a fairytale story. It was football fate.
The 32-year-old has strived to build success with the Suns since their inception, involved in all of their previously futile campaigns and continuously recommitting to the club despite the consistent exodus of star talent who desired greater glory.
It accumulated in a moment of destiny that not even the best Hollywood writers could script, with Swallow drilling a 50-metre kick through the goals with mere seconds remaining in Saturday night's elimination final.
It was football destiny in full display. The last remaining Gold Coast foundation player winning the club's first-ever final in what could potentially be his final AFL game.
But unbelievably, the moment almost never happened - and probably shouldn't have.
Channel 9's Tom Morris revealed on Footy Furnace that Swallow incredibly returned from a reaggravation of a PCL injury he sustained back in March in time for the post-season.
The initial PCL injury in March kept Swallow sidelined for eight weeks. The August setback should have meant the same, but the veteran opted against having surgery in order to give himself the best chance possible to play in a potential final.
The PCL injury is no ordinary concern for Swallow either. He's dealt with a number of PCL concerns before, and complications in 2016 almost ended his career.
However, with retirement pending and a first post-season berth on the cards, Swallow chose to wear a knee brace for a week and boldly built back into a full running and training load within 27 days. The gamble paid off.
"Not only did he have a PCL injury in March, which saw him miss eight weeks, he also injured the same PCL on August 10 against Carlton playing VFL," Morris said on Sunday.
"Twenty-seven days later, it's normally six to eight weeks. Twenty-seven days later, he's selected to play AFL, and he's the hero for the Suns against the Dockers away from home in his 248th game."
Swallow was nearly lost for words in his post-game interview with Channel 7, but remained humble following his game-winning heroics.
"To be honest, I thought I lost us the game a couple of minutes earlier when I turned it over and they were able to score off the back of it. To have that moment... it was a bloody good game," Swallow said.
"It's been an extraordinary week... the boys played unbelievable tonight, and I just played a small part at the end and got a bit lucky. It's pretty cool."
After years of trial and tribulation and a plethora of shortcomings, there was perhaps no one more deserving of such a moment than Swallow.
The club's all-time games leader, 2014 best-and-fairest winner and runner-up on two other occasions, and a former captain whose leadership has played a key role in the development of superstars Matthew Rowell and Noah Anderson, Swallow's impact on the Gold Coast's success is emphatic.
Now, he has the opportunity to play a role in an unlikely premiership tilt and potentially bring up a 250th milestone match, should the Suns reach a preliminary final.
"It's been my whole adult life, living up on the Gold Coast and trying to make a go of it," Swallow said.
"I know how hard this group works, and our fans deserve it. Everyone involved deserves it. It's a good story."
