Injured Hawthorn defender Trent Croad said he was cleared to play prior to breaking his foot in Saturday's Grand Final.
Croad said would not have been selected had he not been given the thumbs-up by the club's medical staff.
"It wasn't touch or go," he said. "Basically they wouldn't play you unless you were cleared to play."
Structurally everything was fine. The club acted in a very professional way and everything was cleared to play. I just had to nurse it along."
However, the defender's game ended in the second quarter when, in pursuit of the ball, he pulled up abruptly after what he described as an 'unfortunate action'.
After limping off the ground with the assistance of trainers, Croad retired to the dressing room to watch the rest of the game on TV.
Given false hope by painkillers, the defender thought he was a chance to make a miraculous return to the field but that evaporated as soon as he tried to stand up.
"It was horrible," said Croad, who needed crutches to hop onto the dais and receive his premiership medallion.
Croad did not take his seat on the interchange bench until deep into the last quarter when it became apparent the Hawks had an unassailable lead.
While Croad's foot was numb shortly after the game, it was both blue and swollen. He was also nursing bruises on his face and an inflamed eye from stray drops of champagne.
"I just need to be held," Croad quipped.
Like veteran team-mate Shane Crawford, Croad was one of the sentimental favourites in the premiership win. Saturday's game was his 222nd, and 184th in Hawthorn colours.
The other 38 were at Fremantle in 2002-03 when he was offloaded west as part of the trade which landed Norm Smith Medallist Luke Hodge at Hawthorn.
"I had to try and do some time for Hodgie," he said. "I had to go away for two years then I came back."