The game was the sequel that more than lived up to its billing and Greater Western Sydney Giants midfielder Dylan Shiel was the hero that saved the day.
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With the game on the line fans were calling for a saviour - Shiel delivered.
His supreme final term reads like a dream - 11 disposals that included five kicks at 100 per cent efficiency, five contested possessions and three clearances in a frantic finish.
Shiel's sterling effort with the game on the line lifted the Giants to a thrilling two-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at Manuka Oval on Friday night.
The Giants midfielder says holding off the AFL's fast-finishing "benchmark" team fills GWS with the belief that no matter how ugly it looks, the competition favourites are always in the game.
"The game was definitely there to be won - I guess as a leader of the footy club it was part of my role to try and help the team get over the line," Shiel said.
"You never know what your performance is going to be like until you finish the game but I just gave it my all until we got the job done.
"It was nice to have a really strong last quarter and mostly just getting the win - it would have been disappointing to lose, it wouldn't have mattered in the end."
The Giants' 11.9 (75) to 9.19 (73) victory fuelled the rivalry between the two clubs that took off after what was arguably the game of the season in last year's preliminary final.
The sequel was just as good as the original, the perfectly scripted contest throwing up an early contender for 2017's game of the year.
Twenty-four-year-old Shiel grew up watching heated rivalries between the likes of West Coast and Sydney, and in more recent years Geelong and Hawthorn.
Now he is absolutely relishing being a part of one.
"You dream of playing in games against opponents with that sort of intensity, and certainly our last few encounters against the Bulldogs have been to that level," Shiel said.
"That's why you play footy, it's fun, it's exciting, and I think it's really entertaining that both clubs really put on a good show for the footy world."
It was the perfect start to life under Friday night lights for the Giants and Shiel, who notched up a game-high 29 disposals, says a packed house in Canberra was instrumental in getting the hosts over the line.
It's a scene they will get used to over the coming years with their second Friday assignment coming next week against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
"You'd be surprised how influential the crowd can actually be for the players on the field," Shiel said.
"They were fantastic, towards that end when the game was really intense, in the big moments you could really hear the crowd getting behind the team.
"Canberra's really our home away from Sydney, so we love coming down here. It's our first ever game on a Friday night, it was really special and what a way to remember it."
