Saturday's 2024 AFL Grand Final is already a rare occasion for the history books of Australian sport, featuring two non-Victorian sides in a significant endorsement of Aussie Rules football in the northern states of the nation.
Brisbane and Sydney, with ties to Fitzroy and South Melbourne, are the two oldest existing clubs to represent interstate cities, both joining the AFL caper in the new-look 1990 season, having initially formed in 1873 for South Melbourne and 1883 for Fitzroy.
The two clubs met in the 1899 VFL Grand Final, and meet again this Saturday after a 125-year wait.
Only three times have two interstate clubs met on the ultimate stage, stunningly all in consecutive seasons from 2004-2006.
Brisbane or Sydney featured in all, including two of the greatest AFL matches this century, the back-to-back Sydney vs West Coast battles.
All of these matches were marked by an iconic moment in the dying stages, with memories of ecstasy and heartache littered throughout each.
We have gone through each of the three occasions ahead of Saturday's clash to find the notable moments and trends which defined each and may play a part in this weekend's result, starting with the historic Power triumph 20 years ago.
2004 - Port Adelaide (113 vs 73) Brisbane
A match marked by the chilling celebrations of Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams, who took aim at all who doubted his ability to lead a premiership, including major sponsor Allan Scott.
The Power took down the invincible Lions coming off their three-peat premiership success from 2001-2003, producing a scintillating four-goal blitz in time-on of the third quarter, before running over the top in the fourth to come out 40-point victors.
Small forward Byron Pickett took home the Norm Smith Medal for his 20-disposal, three-goal performance, shadowed closely by a game-changing four goals and 18 touches for the legendary Gavin Wanganeen.
Port midfielder Peter Burgoyne and Lions midfielder Nigel Lappin led all-comers with 25 disposals each, while Brisbane's Daniel Bradshaw, Tim Notting and Jason Akermanis each booted three goals in defeat.
The two clubs earned their spot on the ultimate stage following league-best home & away campaigns. Port Adelaide claimed the minor premiership with 17 wins and two straight home final victories, including the thrilling six-point preliminary final triumph over St Kilda.
Saint Fraser Gehrig booted his 100th goal for the season in that game and Wanganeen stepped up with a stunning match-winning goal, kicking a drop-punt from 50 on the boundary 21 minutes into the last.
Brisbane finished second on the ladder, trounced St Kilda in their home qualifier and met Geelong in a preliminary final at the MCG instead of the Gabba, due to a contractual agreement with the AFL.
The Lions squeezed past Geelong by nine points with Blake Caracella kicking the sealer, notching their chance to claim a historic fourth straight flag. Unfortunately for Leigh Matthews and the Lions, it wasn't to be.
2005 - Sydney (58 vs 54) West Coast
One of the greatest matches this century, glorified by perhaps the crowning moment in grand final history:
"Leo Barry you star!"
Leo Barry's colossal game-saving pack mark, called by Stephen Quartermain in the final five seconds of the 2005 season, clinched the club's first premiership in 72 years, dating back to South Melbourne's 1933 triumph.
The moment followed a four-quarter war of attrition like no other, both sides fighting out a low-scoring scrap led by heroic performances.
Eagle great Chris Judd claimed the Norm Smith Medal in a losing performance (29 disposals), becoming just the fourth in history behind Maurice Rioli Sr, Gary Ablett Sr and Nathan Buckley.
Dean Cox and Ben Cousins were the best behind Judd for West Coast.
Nick Fosdike of all people led Sydney with 26 disposals, eight marks and seven tackles in the win, while Brett Kirk, skipper Barry Hall and Adam Goodes each played a critical part.
The two sides met earlier that September in a qualifying final at Subiaco which came down to the wire, the Eagles clawing back a three-quarter-time deficit to win by four points.
West Coast booked their spot in a home preliminary final while Sydney found themselves on the fringes of defeat in the dying stages of their semi-final against Geelong, until the greatest fourth quarter performance in finals changed history.
Nick Davis' four sublime goals, including the match-winner with less than five seconds of play, sent the Swans to the penultimate match, where yet another fourth quarter burst against St Kilda put them into the grand final.
Their victory the following week capped off one of the greatest September runs in AFL history.
2006 - Sydney (84 vs 85) West Coast
The sequel.
Yet again these two met for the biggest game of the year, after again meeting for a Subiaco qualifier just weeks prior.
It was the Eagles who held on by the slimmest of margins this time around, with an inspirational three-part play from Daniel Chick setting up the decisive Daniel Hunter goal 23 minutes into the fourth.
Chick's smother, gather, handball and shepherd to set up the goal has gone down in West Coast footy folklore as one of the greatest passages of one-percentage play seen in the game, in the realms of Wayne Harmes' '79 knock-on and Matthew Scarlett's '09 toe-poke.
Andrew Embley was awarded the Norm Smith Medal in 2006 for his 26-disposal, two-goal performance, supported admirably by Beau Waters, Tyson Stenglein, Adam Selwood, Dean Cox and champions Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr.
Brett Kirk was Sydney's best with 27 disposals and nine tackles, followed by Adam Goodes, Ryan O'Keefe, Nick Davis and Michael O'Loughlin.
The qualifying final three weeks earlier was just as riveting, when the fourth-placed Swans took down the ladder-leading Eagles in one of the most thrilling fourth quarters ever, featuring six lead changes.
Chris Judd had 34 disposals and two goals in the clash, while skipper Barry Hall and match-winner Michael O'Loughlin were inspirational on the other side, booting nine goals between them, including 'Micky-O's go-ahead major at the 26-minute mark and iconic West Coast cheer-squad faceoff.
West Coast would trounce the Bulldogs the following week, before squeaking by the Crows to return to the grand stage, where the fourth-quarter siren sounded on another of the greatest grand final victories of the modern era.
