When it comes to detailing his thoughts, or dealing with an opponent on the field, a no-nonsense Joel Selwood is the master of getting straight to the point.
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As the Cats refocused after not only returning to the finals but having also been involved in one of the great play-offs, the robust captain revealed what had been driving his team.
"It just shows that we are all in it - it's been that case for a long time. We have put this group together now over three or four years," he said.
"We are working towards where we want to be. We want to become relevant again and tonight was just a step in that direction."
That Selwood thought the Cats had become irrelevant, or lacked relevancy, in terms of dealing with the league's on-field powers was obvious in one regard, for they had failed to make the finals last year for the first time since 2006. But, in the grander scheme of things, the Cats were far from an off-Broadway act.
They had, after all, featured in four grand finals from 2007, including premierships in '07, 2009 and 2011, while reaching a preliminary final - against you know who - in 2013.
If the Cats, taking a bigger picture view, had become irrelevant by the end of 2015, where does that leave a bunch of clubs who have missed finals for years, let along failed to make a grand final for a decade or more?
Selwood's comments reinforced what the Cats are about under president Colin Carter, chief executive Brian Cook, coach Chris Scott and football-department chief, Steve Hocking.
Friday night's result could have gone either way - the football world will be feeling for Isaac Smith, who will be haunted by his miskick for some time - but the Cats, like the Hawks and Swans, are an example of how to rebuild on the fly.
To regain the on-field position they had become accustomed to, their development programs have been strong, they were prepared to make tough calls on premiership stars James Kelly, Mathew Stokes and Steve Johnson, the latter enjoying a fine season with the Giants, and they made the greatest splash in last year's trade period by luring Patrick Dangerfield home from Adelaide. Fellow recruits, former Sun Zac Smith in the ruck, and Scott Selwood, who gave Hawks' playmaker Sam Mitchell much to think about, were also good. And don't forget Lachie Henderson missed because of his knee, but is expected to be fit for the preliminary final.
Dangerfield wanted to return to his home coastal town of Moggs Creek, about an hour's drive from Geelong, but the Cats still had to get the job done. They did - and have, obviously, become more relevant with arguably the league's best player among their ranks.
Friday night's clash was one for the ages, and midfield hard nuts Selwood and Dangerfield were instrumental in the victory. So, too, were Cam Guthrie, Tom Hawkins, Lincoln McCarthy, Mark Blicavs, and mature-age recruit Sam Menegola, a fifth-round selection in last year's draft. The onballer, with 23 disposals, could be one of the stories of this September - he had been a rookie for four seasons (with Hawthorn in 2011 and Fremantle from 2012-14) before finishing third in the Sandover Medal last year and playing in Subiaco's premiership.
He was one of six Cats in their first final, joining Rhys Stanley, Josh Cowan, Jake Kolodjashnij, Tom Ruggles and Zac Smith.
"They hadn't really experienced that and at the very least they come away now thinking: 'OK, that's what finals are about'," Scott said.
Selwood, speaking on Channel Seven, also invoked Al Pacino in his guise as an NFL coach in Any Given Sunday when detailing why the Cats had prevailed.
"The game is a game of inches. It's a game of moments, that's what we have heard. I don't think we had more moments than them on the night. It just came down to that last little bit and we ended up in front," he said.
And relevant, once again.
