I have a deep curiosity about the language we use in football. The phrases, the tropes and the pieces of wisdom. All of it. From the quizzical, such as “lower your eyes”, to the rhythmic nonsense of “would-be tackler” and the eternal guiding force of footy’s optimistic spirit, “there’s always next week”.

For the purposes of simplicity, let’s bundle them all into the same basket, marked footy cliches. Within that basket, one diamond, for me at least, shines a little brighter than the rest.

“Play your role” might be the most beautiful cliche in footy. You’ve heard it a million times from players or coaches and you’d be forgiven for tuning out. It’s become almost an industry default catchphrase when a microphone is put in front of people.

But it deserves a more considered hearing.

If done right, each player’s determination to do their bit, even if it goes unnoticed from the masses, is all in service for the greater good. Understanding and executing your role gives each player their dignity, a sense of inner peace, because they know that it helps their teammate. The mantra of “play your role” can quieten down any intrusive inner thoughts, worries or anxieties that will hamper a footballer’s creativity, clarity and ultimately, performance.

And it’s performance that footy on the biggest stage is all about. Under the brightest lights the game has to offer, the judgment can be as searingly hot as those burning lightbulbs in the sky. This Friday those lights will be shining down on the Blues and the Kangaroos, just so we can all get a better look at who they are as a collective.

The pressure is always on if you’re an AFL club; it’s just a matter of what type. The Kangaroos have been a developing side, under the eye of Alistair Clarkson, for some time now, and the moment for some significant results has arrived. North Melbourne, who are you?

The Blues are the fascination of the league. Like a macabre mutation of everyone’s second team. Everyone has got a friend who is a tormented Blues supporter. The spotlight on them has gone past the comical though; their pressure situation could be described as like living, training and playing at altitude. The air is thin up there, on those rocky peaks of doubt, and it’s hard to breathe. Only wins can bring Michael Voss and his boys down the mountain to breathe with freedom once again.