Legacies are defined by what teams and players achieve, or fail to achieve, in September.
The stakes are higher. Every effort is amplified. Every mistake is compounded. Every victory is glorified. Losses are rarely forgiven.
With the first week of finals upon us, let's take a look at some of the most memorable matches this corresponding point of the season has blessed footy fans with in recent memory.
The eight best first-week finals of the last decade:
7Brisbane Lions v Richmond Tigers, 2022 Elimination Final
The storylines from this one are varied.
The loss in the 2022 elimination final is the most recent final the Tigers have featured in, ending their fabled dynasty, at the same ground where they lifted their last cup.
The Lions lost five of their first six finals matches under Chris Fagan, with their only win during that time coming in the 2020 qualifying final against the eventual premiers in Richmond. Two years later, it would be Richmond that they would conquer again.
The game ended 106-104, with a dribbling Joe Daniher effort from inside the goal square securing the victory for the Lions, with a minute remaining.
It is one of many big game moments the laconic Daniher would provide the Lions in the 2020s, with his grand final performances and match-winning heroics in their epic semi-final victory over the Giants, en route to a drought-breaking premiership last season, rounding out the list.
It was a match marred by controversy, with Richmond fans still upset about a Tom Lynch "goal" that was overturned, just prior to the Daniher moment.
The ever-reliable Lachie Neale shone on the night, gathering 39 disposals and posting a seriously impressive 15 clearances.
