You could argue that this game is for the whole club, but for me this is a game for the players. While I'm an advocate for strong accountability and have no empathy with those who created the all-consuming Tullamarine environment, I can't help but be drawn in by the incredible resilience the players have shown amid what they have endured. Their strongest collective voice hasn't been anyone standing in front of a packed media scrum, issuing endless media releases, driving hidden agendas or engaging spin doctors. It has been football. It's the only voice they know. The only place they can realistically "speak" is inside the white line. Yet, through it all, they've had to live knowing their integrity and football careers were under genuine and immediate threat.

Watson has epitomised this approach and somehow absorbed the incredible weight that sits on his shoulders. I am positively in awe of the way he has conducted himself and led his players through such an exasperating time. There's been no better leader in the AFL in the past 18 months - on or off the field. In simple terms, the hardest time to lead is when times are hardest. He's done it. Turning the door knob, entering the Essendon facilities every day and having the same rational head and even temperament. Being a voice of reason while managing the endless speculation, innuendo and ill-truths. It's incredibly difficult when you might be struggling yourself. It is at times like this when the troops turn to their leader most. Players would have sounded him out to express their concerns because he is listened to at the table. And the board would have asked for guidance because he represents the players.

Add to that the expectation of performance. He's the man in the shopfront window; the man who's every action is being watched and judged; the obvious starting point for everyone looking for a reason or a justification. It's not behind closed doors. It's for everyone to see. Watson has been extraordinary. I cannot begin to fathom how he's carried so incredibly well the daily task of being spokesman and statesman. Inspiration and motivation. Friend and colleague. Player and leader. He has stood up for what he believes. He must have enormous anger bottled up inside him, yet we've not seen it. Not once has he lowered his impeccable standards. Because he knows he cannot show any sign of weakness. If the captain balks, the soldiers balk. But captain Jobe hasn't balked. Not even slightly.

Watson has got great service, too, from his senior lieutenants. As fate would have it, his extended absence earlier in the season has made others stronger. Brendon Goddard has struggled recently, but stood up superbly on-field early when Watson was injured. Dyson Heppell, too, has emerged as a strong Essendon figure in the second half of the year. Paddy Ryder's brilliance and Michael Hurley's strength have also been elevated to another level. But this is Watson's team. Now, when it matters most, he embodies the Essendon Football Club. He embodies a group that has matured. Simply, they had no option.

They were denied a finals berth last year. And rightly so. But this year they are where they belong. It's their signature moment. And if it gets tough on Saturday night, they should be able to find the answers because they lived tough for 579 days. Essendon hasn't won a final since September 4, 2004, when it beat Melbourne by five points in an MCG elimination final. Only Watson, Brent Stanton and the injured Dustin Fletcher are still playing at the club. I sense, though, that the wait is almost over; that the result of all this will be an Essendon side with new-found resilience, strength and unity. An Essendon side with an unflinching belief in each other, and not just a want for justification, but an insatiable need.