GAVIN Wanganeen already had an AFL premiership medal from his "apprenticeship" at Essendon. But his stellar resume of grand achievements in Australian football was missing that prize that meant most emotionally - a national flag for his home club, Port Adelaide.
"We would have become twisted old men," says Wanganeen if that shelf on his crowded trophy cabinet remained without an AFL premiership medal won with Port Adelaide rather than as a "Baby Bomber" at Essendon.
Those men endured the "chokers" tag in September while Port Adelaide scored unprecedented win-loss counts from March to August across four consecutive seasons (2001-2004) - "A lot of hard work went unrewarded," notes Wanganeen of the promising campaigns that repeatedly fell short during finals.
Today, they would probably like to be known as "mature" rather than old, even if their aged and campaign-scarred knee, ankle, hip and shoulder joints might argue.
They are definitely proud rather than twisted today.
And 20 years on from history being made in the first non-Victorian AFL grand final at the MCG on Saturday, September 2004, they remain the men who fulfilled the vision and dream that had prompted Port Adelaide in 1990 to move from suburbia to the national stage.
This week - when Port Adelaide has its AFL premiership reunion tied to the home clash with Brisbane on Saturday afternoon - those proud, older men know time has marched on ... and quickly.
But history does not - cannot - forget what they achieved in 2004, seven years after Port Adelaide rose from the SANFL to a national league that demanded more of the Port Adelaide Football Club than with any other its other 42 crowns collected in four other competitions since 1877.
They won 69 of 88 home-and-away games from 2001-2004 - and three consecutive McClelland trophies (2002-2004) as AFL minor premier, accomplishments that repeatedly fall away in significance when there is a singular focus in Australian football on the premiership won in September and nothing else. More so when Port Adelaide was 2-6 across the 2001-2003 final series.
There also is this concept of remembering just the 22 who played on grand final day - captain Warren Tredrea, the First Nations quartet of Peter and Shaun Burgoyne, Wanganeen and Norm Smith Medallist Byron Pickett, Matthew Bishop, Josh Carr, Domenic Cassisi, Chad and Kane Cornes, Stuart Dew, Dean Brogan, Damien Hardwick, Roger James, Adam Kingsley, Brendon Lade, Josh Mahoney, Brett Montgomery, Jarrad Schofield, Toby Thurstans, Darryl Wakelin and Michael Wilson.
(It is more than notable that from this group, 14 of the 22 remain in the AFL game today in significant roles through coaching, league administration and media).
But there were others at Alberton who contributed to this successful campaign, as Port Adelaide recognised with replica miniature premiership trophies at its official celebration in 2004 and again this year at the Hall of Fame inductions that included then injured club captain Matthew Primus.
The roll call of heroes from 2004 - when a squad more so than a team won the flag - includes another 10: Josh Francou, Brad Symes, Damon White, Stuart Cochrane, Jared Poulton, Troy Chaplin, Steven Salopek, Brett Ebert, Michael Pettigrew and Jacob Surjan, all playing at least one AFL game that season. From this group, Ebert played the most - 16 of a possible 25 in his AFL debut season. In many other sports (and at the Olympic Games) he would have a medal. Even in a time of retrospective medals in Australian football, the game still only allocates premiership honour to 22 each year.
And then there was an extraordinary and ambitious coaching staff led by Mark Williams, a dedicated football staff and adminstration commanded by chief executive Brian Cunningham and affirmation of all then club president Greg Boulton said about success in football.
"A player can win individual awards; a team can win games, but only a great club can win premierships," is Boulton's proven philosophy.
This week more than a jumper comes back in fashion. There are memories from a big finish to a season that stopped a group of ambitious men from becoming twisted in their old age.
Saturday at Adelaide Oval will live off the energy of a Saturday at the MCG from 20 years ago. It might also serve as a reminder of how challenging the task of winning an AFL premiership was two decades ago - and how difficult the task remains today.
