Travelling? Check.
Missing the skipper? Check.
Best player suspended by the club? Check.
Not the ideal way to go into a final, you'd think, but Collingwood defied the odds to clobber Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday and move into next week's semi-final against St Kilda.
Magpies forward Scott Pendlebury is just 20, with three finals under his belt, but was a comparative finals veteran in Saturday's side.
"A win yesterday – for a lot of the boys it was their first final," he said. "I think for seven of our guys it was their first final.
"To get a win is probably something they've never experienced before, and we're just looking forward to next week now."
The Magpies have made a year out of winning when underdogs – the round nine 86-point win over the otherwise all-conquering Geelong is the most obvious and best example – and Pendlebury said the win over Adelaide was just the latest instalment.
"No-one thought we could win after the performance against Freo.
"Over in Adelaide, we've had some pretty good history there. We played pretty well and got over the line, and yeah, it was good."
Another positive was the return of Dale Thomas, who injured his knee at the same ground against Port Adelaide in round 20.
"It was good to have him back. You could see the run and that little bit of flair that he adds to the team – he just brings something different.
"That goal he kicked on the three-quarter-time siren, I think it was a big help to get us over the line."