Trent Bianco knew things were going one of two ways when Craig McRae walked over to him inside the gym at the AIA Centre last Thursday afternoon.
With vice-captain Taylor Adams ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing his groin off the bone in the qualifying final loss to Geelong, there was a spot up for grabs ahead of Saturday night's semi-final against Fremantle.
That spot was now Bianco's after the match committee chose to go with the lifelong Magpies supporter for the first final of his career.
The 21-year-old didn't disappoint in the 20-point win over the Dockers in front of 90,612 people – nearly 20,000 more than the previous highest crowd he'd played in front of – finishing with 16 disposals and five marks to execute his role in a knockout final.
"I didn’t find out until Thursday. I knew there was a spot available throughout the week, so I just had to train well," Bianco told AFL.com.au after the Magpies progressed to a preliminary final.
Thursday after weights I just got the tap on the shoulder and it was either going one way or the other – either you're really close or you're in – so I was pumped with what he told me."
Life on the fringe is tough at any time of the season, but particularly at this time of year when the VFL campaign is over. Will you play again?
Bianco – and the likes of Finlay Macrae, Josh Carmichael, Oliver Henry and Callum Brown – have had to remain prepared in the event a spot opens up for them since the reserves were beaten by Carlton in the elimination final at Victoria Park a fortnight ago.
"It has been much more mental than physical, staying ready and staying confident. We have a next man up mentality here," he said.
"'Tay' went down last week, which was really disappointing, but it was just next man up. We've got 23 guys doing our thing."
With his family, who are also lifelong Collingwood supporters, watching on with the masses in the stands, Bianco made sure he stopped to soak in the occasion when he had the chance amid the chaos on Saturday night.
"With about three minutes to go I looked up and it was pretty spectacular; even the minute silence before the game was pretty surreal. You couldn't hear anything," he said.
Bianco played 12 games last year – three under Nathan Buckley, nine under Robert Harvey – but only managed three appearances in the first 17 rounds of 2022.
After resetting himself during the mid-season bye, Bianco earned a recall for the trip to South Australia to face the Crows in round 18 – when Adams was sidelined due to concussion – and held his spot for five straight games to show some of the growth he has made in season two.
The Oakleigh Chargers product has thrived spending more time on the wing at AFL level, rather than across half-forward.
"From the mid-season bye, I have just honed in on the simple things and just trying to get the mental side of the game right and try and be confident in myself," he said.
"I've managed to play some decent footy and make my way back into the side. 'Fly' (McRae) has given me the ability to be myself and believe in myself. I owe it to all the coaches as well.
"I started off playing a lot of forward last year and this year. I went to 'Fly' and told him I think I can play my best footy playing on the wing. He backed me in; he is just awesome like that. Here we are, playing mainly wing and punch-hitting forward, which we love."
Bianco is a bit of a footy head, but he spends part of every week building his clothing brand, T.B Threads, focusing on something different when he is away from the club.
The plan is to spend more time on that in the off-season, but for now, the plan is for Bianco and Collingwood to remain alive for as long as possible in 2022.
