Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell is confident his team can defy history and win the AFL Grand Final from outside the top four for the first time since the current finals system was introduced.
Not since Adelaide in 1998 has a team outside the top four won the flag, while only two teams from outside the top four have managed to reach the preliminary final stage since 2000.
Despite this, Maxwell believes the sixth-placed Magpies have the capacity to write their own history over the next month.
"We feel like we're better placed than what we were 12 months ago, despite the fact that we've won less games and we're not in the top four," he said.
"We've shown we can win four games in a row and we think if anyone can be the one to do it, we can."
Despite Maxwell's confidence, Collingwood have only managed to win a maximum of three consecutive games on two occasions this season, defeating Brisbane, Melbourne and the Bulldogs in Rounds 10-12, and GWS, Essendon and Sydney in Rounds 18-20.
Showing no signs of being disheartened in the face of such daunting history, Maxwell said the Magpies plan to take things step by step, starting with Saturday night's elimination final against Port Adelaide at the MCG.
"You've got to win the first one, so that's what our focus is and I know everyone wants to talk about next week and the week after, but we can't worry about that," he said.
"We have to worry about Port Adelaide and nullifying them but also playing the type of footy we want to play, which obviously we didn't do (in Sunday's loss to North Melbourne).
"We've got the home game and we expect it to be a Collingwood crowd but more than anything, we're trying to play our style of footy and we think that no matter who we're playing, if we play our style of footy that will be good enough to beat anyone."