Townsend looks at it differently. He did not leave because he felt the Tigers were better placed for success but because he believed he would be better placed to be part of their success.

"Where I saw myself playing my best footy I had to leave," Townsend told Fairfax Media this week. "I didn't leave on bad terms, I knew the team would be going OK but I didn't see myself in that team because of all the first-round draft picks, there were so many good players."

As an inside midfielder, he was competing for a spot against captain Callan Ward, high-end draft picks Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly. With young bulls Matt Kennedy and Jacob Hopper to come from the academy, opportunities would be scarce. Kevin Sheedy's departure hurt him as well. He had been one of the master coach's favourites.

It was not easy for Townsend to knock back the two-year contract on offer, but he knew leaving was the right thing to do. A foundation Giant, he had been part of a young team that knew their time would come. He remains close to several former teammates. He catches up with Jeremy Cameron, Devon Smith, Ward, Aidan Corr, Sam Reid and Tim Mohr whenever they are in Melbourne. He's also received well wishes from the Giants' coaching staff.

Townsend's ambition to play in a flag was not a consideration in moving. His career was on the line. It still is. He does not have a contract for next year. The grand final could be his last game.

"I was focused on trying to show them my best footy and play as many games as I possibly could," Townsend said. "I knew the Tigers were a big football club, they'd been in three finals series and been done. I knew they had a pretty good list but it didn't come too much into calculations when I was changing club."

Upon arriving at Punt Road, he was confronted with a familiar problem. He could not crack a regular start in Richmond's midfield. After four games last year, he did not get another look in until round 22 despite excelling in the VFL where he won the competition's best and fairest award.

Townsend had asked coach Damien Hardwick for the change in role to give him the best chance to break into the side. With their tall forward stocks down, Townsend, at 187 centimetres, wanted to play as the down the line target whose job was to bring the ball to ground.

"He said that's a short-term fix because I'm not a key forward," Townsend recalled. "Fortunately for me, [Josh] Caddy went down with a hamstring in round 21. I came in round 22 and played that forward role."

He excelled with bags of six and five to seal his place for the finals.

"I'm not one to get a big head, I didn't think it was normal, it's not going to happen every week," Townsend said. "The following week I just kicked two, which I was still pretty happy with. I had a focus to do my best job in the side which was to stop their key backs taking their marks. I was on the end of a few goals which has been good."

Townsend has made a mark on Hardwick as one of the players who has become "the sum of the parts for our side".

"One thing about Jacob Townsend, he will give you a contest every day of the week - he's incredible," Hardwick said. "I've got to take him out of our training drills half the time because I'm worried he'll smash half of our players. It's a great story of perseverance. It probably sums up our side a little bit: the resilient nature of a lot of our players and the stories that come through. He's a great one."