Patrick Dangerfield has produced hundreds of exceptional games in the AFL, at two clubs, but it’s hard to imagine that any of the previous 358 were as consequential as his performance in this one.

The Cats were in a spot of bother early in this preliminary final when they trailed by 21 points against an enterprising and energetic Hawthorn.

Jack Henry had limped off, and then – in the most calamitous moment – Tom Stewart was subbed out with concussion.

Patrick Dangerfield and Bailey Smith celebrate Geelong’s preliminary final win. Credit: Getty Images

Dangerfield’s impact thereafter was extraordinary for a player aged 25, much less one a decade older.

The skipper was the player whose attack on the ball – and use of it – reversed the trajectory of this final. If he was one of many i

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