Melbourne midfielder James Harmes selflessly tried to sub himself off late in the grand final win against the Western Bulldogs in order to give teammate James Jordon some game time.
Jordon was the medical sub for the match, and he didn't make it out onto the field in the Demons' 74-point win at Optus Stadium.
But if Harmes had his way, Jordon would have been subbed into the game with about five minutes to go.
"Harmsey was trying to have a little cramp there just so I could get on at the end," Jordon told AAP.
"He was just trying to get me on the ground. There was only five minutes left, but it didn't end up happening."
Even though he didn't get any game time, Jordon will still be credited with playing the match, and as such he was given a premiership medal and is now considered a premiership player.
Although the 20-year-old would have loved to have been on the field, he said the most important thing was the fact Melbourne won.
"It feels so surreal to get that win. I'm just over the moon with the result," said Jordon, who was the medical sub for the entire finals series, and only made it out onto the field for a quarter and a half in the preliminary final win over Geelong.
"I'm just stoked I got the premiership medal, that's all that matters.
"The boys are unreal. I feel part of it. It's not just today, it's the whole year as well."
With Melbourne's player group in the prime age bracket for sustained success, Jordon is excited about what the future holds.
"We're still a really young group, and we've got a lot of young boys coming through as well," Jordon said.
"So absolutely, the next four or five years for sure (could be a period of success)."
