September 25, 2014: A spot on the list...

In the heart of the best week of the year, when football is everywhere and there's no bad games, it was a hero of years gone by that returned to the limelight.

Nestled awkwardly next to the Monash Freeway and miles from a train station, VFL Park has been the unlikely hero of Grand Final week. Thousands of fans turned out to the venue on an appropriately chilly Thursday to see the Hawks train for the last time, the extra sizzle provided by Cyril Rioli's race against time to snatch a spot in the Hawks 22.

Even despite Tom Jones and Ed Sheeran touring the MCG, all eyes were on the man in the blue vest as he made it through training without issue. His performance creates a selection headache for Hawthorn, with 23 men pushing for 22 spots.

That means, unfortunately, that just like the wonderful stadium that used to exist around Hawthorn's training ground, someone might be forced to miss out. Rioli's flashy skills are like the central location and retractable roof of the Docklands dome, and Jonathon Simpkin may be left, like ol' Waverley Park, without a spot on the list.