Sam Butler only has to look down for a visual reminder of the horrific leg injury that could have ended his AFL career before it really took off.
A large bump on the Hawthorn forward's left shin marks the spot where his left tibia and fibula broke in half in April last year.
"I heard a snap and I was on the ground," Butler told AAP of the stomach-churning incident.
"I was like, 'Holy crap. If that's me, I'm done.' I looked down and my toes were nearly touching my knee,"
Doctors told Butler the broken bones cut through his calf muscle like a knife.
What followed was the "longest five minutes of my life" as the small forward desperately sought the green whistle, then had to wait well over an hour for an ambulance to take him from Box Hill City Oval to hospital.
It took eight months for Butler to fully recover from surgery, leaning on injured teammates Mitch Lewis and James Blanck for support in Hawthorn's rehabilitation group throughout the process.
In that time, Butler had to learn to walk again before taking gradual steps back into football, rebuilding belief in his ability as he eventually returned through the VFL.
"I've got a lot of confidence this year, but when I was coming back from the injury I had to work on that side of it a lot," Butler said.
"First contact stuff, even on those bags that you do before training, that was nerve-racking.
"Elevating different types of contact training was tough mentally."
Almost a year to the day after the injury, Butler returned with four goals in his VFL comeback.
He had to wait 418 days between AFL appearances, played three games, lost his spot in the side, then earnt a recall for the Hawks' elimination final against GWS.
Butler kicked one goal in the win over the Giants and delivered two crucial majors in the subsequent semi-final upset of minor premiers Adelaide.
Now with a titanium rod in his lower leg, the 22-year-old is eyeing a cut-throat preliminary final against Geelong at the MCG, where he will run out in front of more than 90,000 fans for the first time.
"It was a pretty bad break and it's pretty crazy to think about where I was last year to this year," Butler said.
"It's definitely something to be proud of because I worked my arse off for it.
"If you work hard, this is the position you get to be in."
Butler, the younger brother of Richmond flag star and now St Kilda forward Dan Butler, regained his place in the Hawks' finals line-up when mentor and triple-premiership star Luke Breust was dropped.
Breust, who had already announced he would retire this year, has since gone down with a career-ending knee injury but is playing a role behind the scenes guiding his younger teammates.
"He's given the club so much, but as he said, footy doesn't really owe you anything," Butler said.
"It sucks, but that's just what happens with this sport that we play.
"It's a brutal sport on-field and off-field, and these are just the things that come with it."
While Breust won't add to his premiership medal collection, the Hawks' next generation are bullish about their prospects.
"We're very confident we can take it all the way, as every other team should be," Butler said.
"I'm sure they're all confident too. If you don't have that, I'm not sure that you can win it."
