For someone who was robbed of the 'Goal of the Year' by a late and highly contentious call by a boundary umpire, Dale Thomas was a contented soul in the Collingwood rooms following the Magpies' gutsy nine-point victory over St Kilda at a sodden MCG on Saturday.
As it happened, the 20-year-old slotted what proved to be the match-winner moments later with a set shot from 40 out directly in front, but in years to come he's bound to reflect many times on the goal that wasn't and the glory and motorcar that could have been.
Hemmed in hard on the boundary line, Thomas somehow left two St Kilda defenders grasping at thin air while standing still, turned and grubbered the heavy ball hard and low from 30 out.
It curved right then left before skidding over the line. In the circumstances with the Magpies two-points up well into time-on, it was an act of magic achieved under the most extreme pressure.
Given the all-clear, the goal umpire signalled a goal and was reaching for the flags when the ball was called back.
Apparently Thomas had taken the ball the over the line, and everyone at the ground - even the Saints and their supporters, to an extent - felt robbed.
"I haven't seen the footage but I had my back to the line so I wasn't too sure where I was, but the umpire's call is always the right one which is something you learn as you grow up," Thomas said.
"I just grabbed it and tried to weave my way through.
"I was giving a fist pump and giving a few high-fives when I turned around and the umpire has crossed his flags and gone, 'no goal'.
"I don't know if it was out or it wasn't, but that's life."
Watching from the coach's box, Mick Malthouse believes the goal should have been allowed to stand.
"We've just got to get things right. I'm sure that was in close enough to be viewed. Luckily we got it back and Dale kicked the next goal," he said.
Thomas agreed afterwards that the win was what really counted.
"It was a credit to the boys all day in tough conditions. We were down at three-quarter time and to come out and go about it the way we did in the last quarter was a credit to the boys," he said.