Football can be a cruel master, but it can also provide the sweetest taste of redemption there is.
In big games or moments players are human and falter, sometimes costing their side a premiership. But the players that respond the best are the ones whose stories shine the brightest.
Some players' mistakes happen off the field, besmirching their name. But again, football gives them light at the end of the tunnel and a path back for them to show their true character.
So which stories in recent memory have the best redemption arc?
7Gary Rohan
Often maligned and a player that was known for disappearing in big games, no one was expecting Rohan to be the difference maker for Geelong ahead of the 2022 finals series.
A high draft pick who had speed to burn, Rohan was the epitome of a player who would show glimpses but not necessarily the finished product at either Sydney or Geelong.
But as the Cats took on a rampaging Collingwood side in the 2022 qualifying final, it was Rohan who stood up to drag his side over the line.
With star key forward Tom Hawkins well held by the Pies, Rohan stepped up in his stead, kicked an equal game-high three goals and set up the match winner to Max Holmes in the dying stages.
Rohan also booted a critical goal in the last quarter from a set shot outside 50 to help Geelong break its run of losing its first final for five years straight.
The speedy forward shrugged off the criticism of him going missing in the past to help secure the Cats a home preliminary final and eventual grand final victory.
