JAKE King sat on the floor in the Richmond rooms on Saturday night with ice bags soothing both hands and one ankle.
He still had the knee he injured in round two this year strapped, and looked like he was deciding which part of his body he should feel the most sorry for.
But, with a wide grin, he said the upset 62-point win over Hawthorn that had preceded his post-match treatment plan dulled all of the physical pain.
"It doesn’t matter how sore you pull up after the game; it's well worth it when the boys get over the line like that," King told AFL.com.au.
"We went into this game knowing we had to play four quarters, and credit to the boys - take your hat off - they played four quarters and more.
"That's what happens when you can get the four quarters together."
King was a prolific contributor in the first quarter with two late goals, which came in quick response to a dubious free kick paid against him that saw him slapped with a 50m penalty for abusing the umpire.
He added another in the third, and ended with the trio of majors and two goal assists.
He said while it was pleasing to bag his biggest goal haul since round nine last year, the assists - like his short handpass to Shane Tuck at the start of the third that steadied the Tigers after the Hawks got within three goals - were better.
"I enjoy it a lot more when you can get the ball to someone else and they get the goal and you can celebrate with them," he said.
"That's what footy's all about, when the mateship comes into it.
"As long as the boys are up and firing and we're putting pressure on in the forward line, we can get results on the board and I'm happy."
He also made his presence known in the second when Brent Guerra handed Shane Edwards a goal when he shoved the lightly framed midfielder over in the goal square.
King positioned himself behind Guerra while he manned the mark, and directed a few choice words at the defender.
"I think they were thank you and a bit more," King said.
"Eddy's a quiet kid and the blokes push him around … it's got me bent why they do it.
"For Shane to kick that goal, it was a massive booster, so why not? You give a bit of lip and you cop a bit back, it's all part of the game and a bit of fun."
King was expected to miss six weeks when he injured his knee against Collingwood, but was back to face Port Adelaide a month later.
His secret?
"Hard work, just keep pushing and tell the docs you're right," he said.
"The doc was pushing for a couple more but I wanted to get back out there.
"I don't like sitting on the sidelines watching.
"I think I've come back at a good time. We've got a few wins on the board and the boys are up and about so hopefully we can go forward with it."
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.
