SYDNEY Swans co-captain Adam Goodes refused to let a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee end his Grand Final day, playing through pain to lead the Swans to the flag.
 
Goodes left the field in the second quarter and required strapping to his left knee.
 
At first when he returned he appeared slightly uncomfortable, but quickly re-emerged as one of the best players for the Swans.
 
He had 14 disposals and snapped a goal with seven minutes to play in the final term, which put the Swans seven points ahead.
 
It was the second last goal of the game, and a monumental effort from the dual Brownlow medallist.
 
"He was enormous. He did a PCL and the word came back up that his PCL was gone in his good knee," coach John Longmire said.
 
"Obviously it wasn't the news I really needed at that time. But to be able to just come back on, and I asked him a couple of times during the course of the game 'Are you all right?'
 
"He didn't even flinch. He said 'Don't worry about me'. He went on and no excuses from him, went out there and contributed really well.
 
"To have a knee that was essentially gone and hang in the way he did was a sensational effort."
 
Generally a torn PCL will leave a player sidelined for 6-10 weeks.
 
But Goodes told AFL.com.au he didn't even receive painkillers; just a natural dose of adrenalin.
 
He said all he could think about was getting back out onto the ground.
 
"No needles mate, what it did was just even up my good knee with how bad my right one is," he said.
 
"Put a bit of strapping on it, get back out there, I just wanted to do something for the team and I was able to do that and kick a goal - I was just pumped."
 
The 32-year-old was so happy with the Swans' win he claimed he'd be content to see out his career without getting another touch.
 
"Two premierships mate; if I don't get another kick in my career I'd [still] be so pumped," he said.
 
As soon as the Swans had finished a stirring rendition of their theme song inside the changerooms at the MCG, Longmire took his side into a meeting room at the back.
 
It was there that he told the group of the extent of Goodes' injury. Many, until then, had been unaware. Star young Swan Dan Hannebery was one.
 
"It shows the magnitude of the man. I had no idea. I knew he wasn't moving as well as he could and I thought 'What's going on?'" Hannebery said.
 
"But he was still able to compete and that's all we're about - competing. And we did it contest by contest today."
 
Craig Bird was another who knew little of Goodes' serious ailment.
 
"I didn't know until the end of the game. It's an awesome effort by him but he was always going to push through his injuries because he's a great leader," Bird told AFL.com.au.
 
"We've got great leaders at the footy club and they set the example week-in week-out and we just follow their lead."
 
Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.