Revelations on Tuesday that Sydney Swans star Lance Franklin was being treated for an ongoing mental condition gave us all reason to pause.
For Franklin, this battle is just beginning, but for the teams still playing finals, they have to quickly turn their focus back to footy. As Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson mused a fortnight ago post-match, 'this game doesn't stop for anyone'.
The football question that rapidly came to mind was: can the Sydney Swans manufacture a finals win against the odds against Fremantle with one (actually four with Luke Parker, Kieren Jack and Nick Smith missing too) of their best players on the sidelines?
The Swans scored nine more points on average with Lance Franklin in the line-up in the past two seasons than when the champ was out.
Their winning percentage with him in the team since 2014 is 74 per cent (29 wins-10 losses) and without him it's 63 per cent (five wins-three losses).
Match Day Information: Fremantle v Sydney
Franklin has taken 18 per cent of their scoring shots, kicked 21 per cent of their goals and been involved in 30 per cent of their scoring chains in 2015 although he is only ranked 14th in the club for score assists, with just 13.
He's a matchwinner too, stepping up in the big moments with audacious acts that confound most.
Who could forget his final quarter goal from the boundary in last year's qualifying final against Fremantle, which killed off the contest but somehow made the game so much more memorable?
So clearly the Swans are better off with Buddy in the team but they can still do the job on Saturday against Fremantle in his absence.
The key forward role will fall on the broad shoulders of premiership Swan Sam Reid if recent history tells us anything.
He spent 33 per cent of the time up forward in the first 18 rounds but when Buddy was missing from rounds 19-21, he was forward 88 per cent of the time.
Reid has kicked eight goals and averaged eight marks a game since round 19 and the Swans have only lost one game, to Geelong in round 19.
Kurt Tippett played less up forward (38 per cent) in the three games Franklin wasn't in the team alongside him than beforehand when he played forward 59 per cent of the time.
Tippett has played in the ruck this season alongside Mike Pyke.
He has had his most hit-outs in a season in 2015, palming or knocking it out 354 times for the year. Tippett has also kicked 39 goals (equal to his most goals in a season since 2010).
Lyon will stick to script
What Buddy's absence forces the Swans to do is look further and wider for their goals.
Adam Goodes steps up minus Franklin to be the leading forward target in his teammate's absence, attracting the ball 18 per cent of the time, with Reid (13 per cent), Tippett (11 per cent), Isaac Heeney (11 per cent), the injured Luke Parker (six per cent) and Brandon Jack (six per cent) changing the forward mix.
When Franklin plays, he is the target 29 per cent of the time and Tippett 19 per cent, with Reid and Goodes sharing seven per cent of the action.
Reid has kicked 6.6 in five games with Buddy out and 9.6 in 15 games with him in the team. Goodes has kicked eight goals in those five games and 15 in the other 14 games.
Jack has been impressive in his five games without Buddy, kicking six goals, and not one in the five games he played alongside Buddy.
This variety might have an impact on Fremantle's planning with Luke McPharlin, Michael Johnson and Garrick Ibbotson more likely to have changing roles.
Rotto turns purple #ForTheFinals
There is room for Zac Dawson to lock down on an opposition forward and his presence might even give Lyon the chance to try McPharlin forward as he did with Ibbotson a week ago.
However you'd imagine that initially Dawson's role might allow McPharlin to be more creative out of defence than he can be without Dawson.
The other worry for the Swans is how they cope without Jack, Parker and Smith.
They have never had all three missing and at least one of Jack and Parker has played every game since Parker debuted in round 8, 2011.
They have never gone into a game since then without at least two of Jack, Parker, Smith and Franklin playing.
Hawthorn won the 2013 qualifying final against the Swans without Franklin.
His new club will need to repeat the dose, this time against Fremantle.
And hopefully, in time, Buddy can be back enjoying whatever the next phase of his life has in store.
Stats supplied by Champion Data
