When Adam Treloar lines up for Saturday's AFL expansive final, helium volition bash truthful knowing that astir nary different subordinate connected the tract has endured the rollercoaster helium has implicit the past fewer years.
After securing his imagination determination to Collingwood backmost successful 2016, Treloar thought helium would beryllium a Magpie for life, instantly coming successful arsenic the team's marquee midfielder.
READ MORE: Everything you request to cognize astir the 2021 AFL expansive final
With Treloar successful tow, the Magpies soared to heights that adjacent their astir passionate fans could not judge successful 2018, coming wrong a footwear of securing what would've been the club's VFL/AFL record-equalling 16th premiership.
Incredibly, wrong 3 years, Treloar went from being an ANZAC Medallist and 1 of Collingwood's cardinal pieces to being unwanted by the club, and was traded successful brutal manner during past year's off-season. Not a time went by during the commercialized play without a communicative astir Treloar and the Magpies impending break-up with the prima midfielder's partner, netballer Kim Ravaillion dragged into the firestorm arsenic Collingwood claimed it would beryllium champion for Treloar to question a determination to Queensland aft she signed a woody with Super Netball nine the Queensland Firebirds.
It was a bittersweet saga, with a tearful Treloar admitting it had wounded the mates profoundly successful an interrogation successful March.
Still, Treloar has moved connected and holds nary ill-will towards his aged team. With a instrumentality to a signifier that caused him heartbreak successful 2018, Treloar revealed however that acquisition had spurred him on.
"Coming truthful close, but feeling truthful far, [the 2018 expansive final] volition ever wounded me," helium told AFL360 successful the lead-up to the expansive final.
"It'll wounded maine until the time I dice due to the fact that of the mode and the mode we lost; we were up the full crippled and mislaid fundamentally successful the past 2 minutes of the game.
"It inactive hurts maine to this day, but I did committedness myself that this clip around, nary substance what the effect is, I'll bask it a batch more."
Now 28 and 1 of the much experienced members of a seasoned Bulldogs outfit, Treloar is wanting to alteration thing much than conscionable the effect of the expansive final.
"When I deliberation astir that twelvemonth and that game, it hurts me," helium said.
"Thinking astir it present pulls astatine the heartstrings for maine due to the fact that we were this close. I've really ne'er seen [vision of his tears aft the expansive final] before, ne'er successful my life, it's rather affectional for maine reasoning astir it due to the fact that we were truthful adjacent to winning and it meant truthful overmuch to truthful galore of us.
"I made a committedness to myself that I ne'er privation to consciousness that feeling again and if I'm successful that presumption to conscionable springiness my implicit champion that I tin springiness for myself to marque my teammates better.
"I don't privation to suffer this week, but I privation to admit and beryllium grateful of the accidental that I person up of me. Win oregon lose, I'm going to beryllium thankful for the presumption I americium successful and grateful that I'm really present representing this large shot club."
It is ironic that Treloar's 2018 and 2021 play person immoderate parallels that spell beyond expansive last appearances astatine the extremity of them.
Like helium did this year, Treloar started 2018 connected occurrence earlier suffering a brace of superior hamstring injuries that outgo him the backmost fractional of his season.
In some years helium was capable to marque it backmost for his club's finals campaign, but the prima midfielder was dealt different curveball contempt his team's finals success.
Treloar was singled retired for immoderate dense criticism successful the aftermath of his ten-disposal outing successful the Dogs' semi-final triumph implicit the Brisbane Lions, disapproval helium admittedly recovered pugnacious to handle.
However, Treloar recovered and played an important relation successful the side's preliminary last thumping of Port Adelaide, finishing with 23 touches and a goal.
"Earlier successful the year, helium was superb and it was proven successful the Brownlow Medal, the mode helium was attracting votes," Bulldogs large Brad Johnson said of Treloar's season.
"Then helium got injured, and erstwhile you get injured you suffer that momentum wrong your season. He was flying on [and had] settled into the Bulldogs' way, and had a existent niche successful the mode that helium was playing his footy and past mislaid it.
"He came backmost good and played bully games, past conscionable had the 1 mediocre performance.
"He responded successful the prelim present that sets the basal up for what helium needs to bash astatine the commencement of this expansive final. It's not trying to beryllium the champion player, it's that constituent of what helium started the crippled with past week. He conscionable has to replicate it."
Treloar's struggles some connected and disconnected the tract person been laid bare implicit the past fewer seasons, with the on-baller becoming a cardinal advocator for intelligence wellness awareness.
It is arguable that nary subordinate crossed the full contention has endured the affectional rollercoaster that Treloar has since that fateful 2018 expansive final.
If helium ends up with the premiership cupful successful his hands connected Saturday night, bully luck convincing him that the full travel wasn't worthy it.
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