Emotions poured out for inspirational Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson in the immediate aftermath of a thrilling one-point win over Geelong on Thursday night.
The skipper kicked three important goals in one of his best games this season as he continues to bravely battle on for his side in the wake of his brother Jaryd's death earlier this year.
Dawson also wore a couple of heavy hits against the Cats but saw out the contest, before celebrations made way for a tearful reflection.
"That man there played an amazing, amazing game," Luke Hodge said in commentary on Channel 7.
"Three goals, he really stood up ... you can see the emotion, he's obviously been through so much, him and his family, we can see the emotion pouring out of him."
Kane Cornes praised the "amazing" Dawson.
"Courageously out there leading this group like he did tonight under adversity," Cornes said.
Geelong counterpart Patrick Dangerfield held up his post-match interview to embrace Dawson after the siren.
"Footy's amazing, isn't it? Our thoughts to Jordan Dawson," Cornes added.
The win marked Dawson's first triumph over the Cats since joining Adelaide at the start of 2022, having lost all six meetings prior to Thursday night.
Channel 7's Hamish McLachlan spoke to Dawson during an ad break and shared a brief insight into the skipper's mindset.
"I wish those at home could see the joy and see the families that have been on the journey," he said.
"Without giving up anything (private) he said 'this is where I get happiness again right now'.
"This is the place to get involved, escape what is clearly the worst time of his life."
Nick Riewoldt said footy clubs allow players to "insulate" themselves with their teammates and purpose.
"And you can go out and express yourself for a couple of hours," he said.
"We saw incredible pictures at the end there of the emotion all bubbling to the surface (for Dawson).
"It's not just actually getting out there for Jordan and playing again — he's leading the group at the same time. He's trying to regulate the emotions of an entire group of men, that's your job as captain.
"It's something I can relate to, I went through something pretty similar and to be performing at the level he is — it's superhuman."
Riewoldt was in his penultimate year as St Kilda captain when his sister Maddie died aged 26 in 2015 following a five-year battle with aplastic anaemia, a bone marrow failure syndrome.
