Playing senior footy with freedom can push a team towards great achivements, and to have it ahead of a grand final is extremely rare.
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But for NCFL debutants Nullawil, they go into this Saturday's grand final against Sea Lake-Nandaly with "nothing to lose", according to coach Brett Barker.
Their opponents, the Tigers, are chasing history, needing only to triumph here to become the first side in the NCFL this century to go through a season undefeated.
Bryce Delmenico's charges are within their fingertips of immortality, but when you chase perfection, the closer you get, the higher the pressure gauge rises.
It is for this reason and a strong finals campaign to date that Barker is confident that the last chapter of his sides fairy-tale story can conclude with them slaying the giant.
"Everyone's saying how excited they are, so I think we're in a good spot considering the pressure is on the other team, and we'll play freely with no expectations," Barker said.
"I always thought we'd go pretty well this year, but whether I believed we'd make a grand final, I'm not so sure.
"I don't know if I can say we're riding the wave, but we are certainly taking it all in at the moment."
A win would make it a four-peat for the Maroons, albeit across two competitions and six seasons.
Their grand final experience is a key tool, but Barker doesn't believe it will be a decisive factor.
"It will help, but we've got a fairly different side from the first couple, which was before COVID, so it won't be the reason we win or lose," Barker said.
The weight of expectation that hovers over the Tigers has derailed great teams at the last hurdle before, but the Yellow and Black have been dealing with it for most of the 2023 season.
Early on, they stamped their authority as firm premiership favourites and only got better as the year progressed.
Not for a long time in the NCFL has a team seemed more primed for premiership glory, and the nerves that come with that have been turned into a positive, according to Delmenico.
"There's definitely expectation going into a grand final, but the whole town is up and about and as a playing group, we've just embraced the lead-in," Delmenico said.
"It's a bigger ground at Boort and pretty hard underfoot, which makes it a quick deck, so that will suit us."
Both coaches highlighted the coalface battle as crucial to their success, with Delmenico saying his side's depth through the guts could prove the point of difference.
"We'll back in our rotations and depth to get the job done," he said.
"We've got eight blokes who can run through there, and you won't see a drop in output at all."
The Tigers' forward line is exceptionally potent, with former Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats player Joshua Jenkins the prominent figure.
But co-coach Billy Mcinnes and John Summerhayes are dangerous also, and with Delmenico saying, "we'll rely heavily on our forward line firing", if the Maroons can limit their impact, it will go a long way to bridging the apparent gap in talent between the teams.
"We won't concentrate on one person because then other guys will pop up and kick goals, so we'll just play our normal game and make sure we're helping the guys with those key roles," Barker said.
"You've got to expect them to have some impact, but if you limit supply and put pressure on the ball going in, then that will make a big difference."
Both sides are unchanged.
LISTED TEAMS (SENIOR FOOTBALL):
Sea Lake-Nandaly:
Brodie Adcock (2), Jordan Bath (3), Ryan Osullivan (4), Austin Mertz (6), Wade Donnan (7), Tyson Mckenzie (9), Brody Weir (11), Trent Donnan (12), Charlie Cox (13), John Summerhayes (15), Luke Martin (16), Thomas Cox (17), Kane Donnan (18), Billy Mcinnes (20), Bryce Delmenico (27), Matt Elliott (32), Jai Wright (39), Jack Poulton (40), Cooper Roberts (45), Joshua Jenkins (46), Matthew Farrelly (53)
Nullawil:
Jonathan Casey (1), Dean Smith (2), Mitch Farmer (3), Kyle Doran (7), Andrew Casey (9), Austin Hogan (18), Josh Bamford (19), Dean Putt (20), Zachary Caccaviello (21), Matt Quigley (22), Andrew Oberdorfer (24), Zac Kelly (26), Patrick Kelly (27), Lucas Caccaviello (29), Daniel Watts (30), Jordan Humphreys (31), Billy Forrester (33), David Isbister (36), Adam Thomson (37), Mark Thomson (38), Ben Brennan (42).
NORTH CENTRAL FOOTBALL, NETBALL AND HOCKEY GF DAY SCHEDULES:
FOOTBALL:
U14s - Donald vs Sea Lake-Nandaly, 9.30am
U17s - Boort vs St Arnaud, 10.55am
Reserves - Sea Lake-Nandaly vs Nullawil, 12.35pm
Seniors - Sea Lake-Nandaly vs Nullawil, 2.30pm
NETBALL:
U14B: Birchip-Watchem vs St Arnaud, 9.30am
U14A: Nullawil vs Donald, 10.20am
U17A: Boort vs Nullawil, 11.20am
C Grade: Nullawil vs Boort, 12.30pm
B Grade: Nullawil vs Donald, 1.45pm
A Grade: Boort vs Nullawil, 3.00pm
HOCKEY:
U12s: St Arnaud vs Charlton, 11.15am
U15s: St Arnaud vs Birchip-Watchem, 12.30pm
Women: Charlton vs Birchip-Watchem, 1.40pm
Men: Wycheproof-Narraport vs St Arnaud, 3.15pm
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