Never again: Bolton
Jude Bolton has felt the agony of Grand Final defeat once - and is desperate to avoid a repeat on Saturday
EVERY year at the final siren of the Grand Final, there are two enduring images - the victorious team lapping up the moment and the vanquished outfit slumped on their haunches, head in hands.
Sydney Swans midfielder Jude Bolton has already been one of the devastated players falling to the ground once - and he has no intention of going through it again.
A veteran of 300 games, Bolton was asked on Thursday if he still feeds off the one-point loss to West Coast back in the 2006 decider.
Despite being part of the premiership side the previous year, the 32-year-old admits he is still haunted by the return clash.
"Yeah, I certainly don't want to have that feeling again," he said.
"We were slumped on the ground after the game and you just know that there's moments in that game when you could easily have performed a lot better.
"I want to make sure [this time] we come off the ground as winners."
The Swans were convincing 26-point victors over Collingwood in last week's preliminary final, but some wayward goalkicking allowed the Pies to still be in the contest in the fourth quarter.
Their return of 13.18 at ANZ Stadium could have proved costly.
Asked about the importance of kicking straight, Bolton again reflected on the 2006 Grand Final, a day when he registered two behinds.
"We kicked poorly last week and you have to take your chances on the big stage," he said.
"I still rue the fact I missed a number of shots back in '06.
"You sit there and play it through in your mind and know you could've easily kicked that goal.
"We just need to take our chances."
Grand Final preview: Hawks v Swans
As one of the Swans to have already experienced Grand Final week, Bolton has been able to impart some wisdom to some of his younger teammates.
Family and friends asking for tickets is one element, with Bolton stating during the press conference "I can't get any! I can't get any more tickets!" to the laughter of the media contingent.
Each member of the Swans who has faced the press has also been asked about the club's record at the MCG, where it has just one win and one draw from 15 attempts dating back to late-2007.
But the response has invariably been the same after two previous hoodoos were emphatically quashed in their first two finals.
"It's been a season of hoodoos," Bolton said.
"Adelaide were a bogey side, we know about the Collingwood hoodoo, so there's no better time to get down there and have a win."
Some dreadful weather has also been predicted for Grand Final day, a predicament that would suit wet-weather specialist Bolton down to the ground.
"I did my rain dance earlier this week," he said.
"(But) it doesn't matter if it snows on Grand Final day, they still hand out a premiership cup and they still hand out 22 medals.
"We just want to be on the winning side."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD