Shaun Mannagh has grown used to doing football the hard way, so was perhaps better-placed than most of his peers to cope with the sneering on social media recently when he took out the AFL Coaches Association "best young player" award at the age of 28.
A less resilient player might have dwelt momentarily on the injustice of having to cop some sledging even whilst being officially recognized for his impressive first steps at AFL level. But that's not how he rolls.
So, not for the first time, the tough small forward simply gritted his teeth, focused on his next task, and once again delivered in style as Geelong brushed aside Brisbane to move into yet another preliminary final.
And while he may be just two years shy of 30 in calendar terms, Mannagh's still-relative "greenness" in terms of senior football isn't lost on him. That made this 33rd senior game and only second finals win a victory worth celebrating.
"I was probably a no show in last year's preliminary against Brisbane, so it was nice to get this one back," Mannagh told ESPN in the rooms after Friday night's game.
"Last year, I was probably, you know, just soaking it in. This year, I feel like I have more of an appreciation for what it is. I've got a really good mate in (former premiership Swan Adam Schneider), and he spoke to me last weekend about just enjoying every moment of finals, because they don't come around every day, and you've got to treat it like it's the last one you'll play."
And Mannagh did that and more. His performance on Friday night underlined again the reasons behind his coaches' gong, and why he is becoming such an important part of the Cats' machinery. He may not have grabbed the headlines, but his contribution was not a lot less significant.
It wasn't just his 15 disposals, it was his nine tackles, second only to Tom Atkins for the Cats, and eight score involvements, behind only Jeremy Cameron, Ollie Dempsey and Mark Blicavs. Not to mention his capacity to insert himself into the contest at the most important moments.
With Geelong having failed to convert its superiority in general play into more than a three-point lead shortly before half time, it was the clever half-forward who steadied the ship.
It was his perfectly-weighted chip pass inside 50 to Sam De Koning which gave the Cats a goal and breathing space. From the very next centre bounce, Mannagh picked up a loose ball in traffic, turned and again hit a leading target in Jack Bowes perfectly. Another goal, and suddenly Geelong in the box seat, a position from which they would not be budged again.
Mannagh's football IQ is obvious every time he touches the ball, but even he concedes coming to grips with being a small forward at AFL level (and one of several for the Cats) has meant a whole new layer of learning.
"The tactics at AFL level are next level compared to VFL, local, whatever it is you're playing," he said.
"You're not just thinking about yourself and your role; you've got to think about how your role works with the people next to you in your line, and because we've got four small forwards, and we all play different roles within the team. You're always learning different stuff; like someone gets injured, and you've got to play a different role and add something different to your game.
"Last year, I still needed to learn my role a bit and go back and play a bit of VFL. But this year, I've come in with so much more confidence and just clarity around it, and just speaking with the coaches and making sure I know exactly what I'm doing week in, week out. I feel like I'm just hitting my straps at the right time of the year."
As is his team, obviously. Geelong has now won its last seven games, its smallest winning margin in any of them is 31 points, and it has topped 100 points every single time. The Cats have just one player (Toby Conway) on their injury list. And, as strange as it may sound about the perennially-September-bound Cats, more finals seasoning than this time a year ago, when they came unstuck at the penultimate hurdle.
"I think for about nine of 10 of us last year, it was our first finals campaign," Mannagh said. "So we're more mature. Bailey Smith, obviously, is an absolute superstar, Jack Martin was huge tonight, and we're just adding to the team at the right time. And we'll take great confidence going into next few weeks."
Not that Mannagh didn't have plenty of that quality already. But it's yet another string to the bow when it comes to realising a lifelong dream that is now so close it's within touching distance.
And if another Geelong premiership is realised, one of the game's smartest small forwards, not to mention its oldest "young player", is going to have had plenty to do with it.
You can read more of Rohan Connolly's work at FOOTYOLOGY