Irrepressible was the word which immediately came to mind about Brisbane's inspiring comeback win against Geelong in the preliminary final, the Lions continuing to hammer on the Cats' door until they knocked it down and charged through.
Brilliant was another, Brisbane climbing over the top of Geelong with superb individual efforts like those of Cam Rayner late in the piece.
None of it, however, would have been possible, indeed Brisbane's season would have been long finished, without another factor which few would have associated with the Lions until recently. And that's resilience.
Even if Brisbane doesn't beat Sydney on Saturday to win its fourth AFL premiership and first for 21 years, the "R" word will echo through the narrative of the Lions' 2024 season, the win over the Cats and the incredible comeback from 44 points down in the semifinal against Greater Western Sydney only the latest examples.
Brisbane has overcome obstacles this season virtually from the time star running defender Keidean Coleman fell to the turf nursing a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament literally on the half-time siren of the Lions' very first game against Carlton.
There was the loss of that game after the Lions had led it by 46 points. The loss of the first three games straight then five of the first seven, by which time Brisbane had not only lost Coleman, but recruit Tom Doedee, who hadn't even pulled on the jumper in battle, and forward pair Lincoln McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner in the same game, all for the season.
There was the blowing of a golden opportunity to seal a top four spot and an accompanying double chance against Collingwood just a little over a month ago when the Lions let a healthy lead slip late, Brisbane then consigned to winning three finals on the road in order to win the flag.
And tales like these are just broader examples of the resilience Brisbane's individual parts have had to display as well. Like Jarrod Berry, who was particularly emotional in the winner's rooms on Saturday night for a couple of reasons.
There was the memory of his late mother Jedda, who died of breast cancer in 2013, and whose legacy he and brothers Tom and Joel honour with their work as ambassadors for the Breast Cancer Network of Australia.
And there's the memory of THAT costly 50-metre penalty late in last year's Grand Final which brought Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom within scoring distance, his resultant goal effectively the match-winner.
Had he thought about it much in just on 12 months since?
"Oh hell yeah," Berry conceded to ESPN. "It's burned in my stomach since that day ... but my late mum taught me about resilience and this season I've tried to let my football do the talking. I just feel blessed to have another opportunity to win a premiership with these boys."
There's Brisbane's resident feel-good story in veteran Ryan Lester, delisted by the Lions at the end of 2022, redrafted as a rookie and made VFL captain, generally a pretty good sign you're not seen as part of the best 23.
Lester responded with his best season, improved on that again this year, and at 32 and now with 200 games under his belt, will play in his second AFL Grand Final in 12 months on Saturday.
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Could he a year or so ago have dreamt he'd be suiting up for a second grand final day appearance? "Absolutely not," he smiled. "Even 12 months ago, we'd just recruited Tom Doedee, we had Darcy Gardiner back, who'd who missed a lot of 2023. I had a spot, but it was going to be competitive. So to be back there again is just awesome."
And how about Lester's resilience even during the four quarters against the Cats on Saturday? Set the considerable challenge of decorated Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron, Lester saw the big Cat sneak away for two early goals. That, however, would be the last time he hit the scoreboard for a major as Lester kept him in check.
"I was too far off him early, and he had quite an influential first half, and I felt like that was making things harder," he said. But after riding out the early storm, Lester turned the tables in the second half, instead making life difficult for Cameron.
"He's so smart as a footballer, he makes you think all the time, and a couple of times I went up to contests and he lost me out the back, so it was just about thinking my game through a little bit more, and I think when I got involved in our offence a little bit it gave me bit more confidence."
That, too, was a recurring theme among the victorious Lions, who having taken on and learned to live with the enduring disappointment of narrow Grand Final defeat, are now intent on harnessing it as a learning experience. Even those as experienced as co-captain Lachie Neale.
"Yeah, we feel like we'll be way better prepared this time," Neale told me. "As an interstate side, you don't really know the logistics of it all, so we'll be better prepared in the build-up. We know what's coming. Last year was the first time for a lot of guys. We almost won it, but we probably didn't play our best on the day. I think that experience was invaluable."
Really, if practical experience is the best teacher, Brisbane couldn't possibly be better-placed to finally deliver than right now after six years residing in the upper echelons of the AFL ladder.
But you don't do that unless you're able to roll with the punches, and the Lions and their coach Chris Fagan have soaked up plenty since their re-emergence as a team to be reckoned with in 2019.
That's resilience. It hardens you. Sharpens things up. And maybe Grand Final day 2024 is the time Brisbane, having withstood so many of football's various slings and arrows, finally gets to land a few decisive blows of its own when it matters most.
You can read more of Rohan Connolly's work at FOOTYOLOGY