This time last year Travis Cloke was struggling in the Collingwood forward line and was on the cusp of being dropped - and not for the only time in his very own annus horribilis.
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Cloke made way in the Collingwood line-up for the club's American experiment Mason Cox, the power forward banished to the VFL instead of getting the chance to shine at the MCG one more time in the annual Anzac Day blockbuster.
Cloke was dropped two more times by the Magpies in 2016 and it left many to speculate: were we witnessing a less than favourable and perhaps premature end to his AFL career? But what a difference 12 months can make. Opportunity knocked during the AFL trade period and Cloke was welcomed at a new AFL home. The reigning premiers, no less.
This weekend, Cloke will pull on the boots for his 250th AFL match as the Western Bulldogs meet North Melbourne in a tricky round four encounter. It's only one week short of the 12-year anniversary of Cloke's AFL debut - which, interestingly, happened in the Anzac Day match that year.
Cloke's arrival at the Whitten Oval and the return from suspension of Stewart Crameri meant there was one certainty for the Bulldogs in 2017: the forward line that helped take them to their remarkable premiership triumph wouldn't be seen again. They may now the guise of the team to beat but, make no mistake, we are seeing a different team.
Crameri was set to play his 100th AFL match on Friday night after missing a full season of football for his role in the Essendon drugs saga in 2012. His return has again been delayed due to a hip complaint.
The former Bomber's eligibility for selection and Cloke's arrival prompted one of the more intriguing questions of the off-season: would their presence make the Bulldogs a better outfit or potentially unsettle what proved to be a winning combination?
In many ways, the jury is still out. One of the Bulldogs' leading goalkickers in recent seasons, Tory Dickson, is yet to play this season and it will be interesting how he slots in. Cloke may have copped boos from the Collingwood faithful in the opening round but he gave all a reminder about his potential one week later when he played very well, as the Dogs again got the job done in a memorable grand final re-match against the Swans.
Jake Stringer hasn't yet completely hit his straps and we're still wondering whether Tom Boyd's stunning and unexpected grand final cameo will actually represent his arrival as an AFL force. Then only last weekend Lachie Hunter was eye-catching up forward, slotting home three goals as the Bulldogs suffered a hiccup on the road against Fremantle. Hunter already has seven goals in 2017 after contributing 10 majors from 26 games last year.
It all makes for a potentially highly versatile forward line at the Whitten Oval. But highly versatile doesn't always mean highly functioning. Nobody wants players tripping over each other.
During the pre-season, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was clear about Cloke's importance to the Dogs. He may have been put to the side by a club which finished 12th, but he was being warmly welcomed to the premiership club. Beveridge promised that the mature recruit would get 'first crack at it' in terms of selection.
"He's a new recruit who's got a lot of good footy in him at this level. He's only 29, he's really fit and he is an endurance outfit and works extremely hard. He sets a fine example in any organisation," Beveridge said on the eve of the season.
"He will change us because I think there will be more opportunities through him.
"He'll just be one of the six down there and we'll expect him to play well in all the phases, which he will."
The pointers are strong for Cloke so far. Perhaps annus horribilus one year, Top Dog the next.
