While Hawthorn are already out of the finals race and the Western Bulldogs season has only the faintest of pulses, in emotional terms, Friday night's game is a big one for both clubs.
Rarely do so many champions say goodbye at once, but it's fitting that Bob Murphy, Luke Hodge, Josh Gibson and Matthew Boyd are farewelled on the same evening.
They're four guys who are proof of how great our game is, given how different their backgrounds have been.
From the skinny defender with dodgy knees, to a chubby kid from the country, the Roo turned Hawk with Caribbean heritage and a rookie who was plucked from Frankston in the VFL.
Pick 13 in 1999, Murphy was unassuming, but always hugely talented.
Even at 35, I'm not sure anyone moves as gracefully as he does and that's saying something for a guy who has overcome two knee reconstructions - his second in the past 12 months.
Despite his veteran status Murphy has played his best footy in the past few years, which has also coincided with his growing profile.
Whether or not that profile gave him more confidence on the field, or if the standard of his footy brought out the person we now know, I'm not sure.
But Bob's greatest legacy will be how he managed to galvanise a club that was on its knees just a few years ago, when he took over the captaincy from Ryan Griffen.
While Bob hadn't been spoken about as leadership material, along with Luke Beveridge he's managed to transform the club.
And, as important as the coach is, the person driving his mates from inside the change rooms is arguably more crucial to success.
In his first year as skipper in 2015 Murphy was also named All-Australian captain and even though he missed out on the premiership last year, he's very much a part of the Dogs resurgence.
Speaking of premierships, Luke Hodge has a few to his name.
No disrespect to Murphy, but when it comes to leadership, Joel Selwood is probably Hodge's only peer in recent years.
Despite being taken with the No.1 pick in 2001, the Hawk's leadership skills weren't always there and even Hodge would admit he had a reputation as one of the lads.
But he's grown into a quality captain with a footy IQ few can match. A real general on the field, he's a player who never shirked the issue and one you'd want to go into battle with.
Hodge might not have a string of best and fairests (he's won two, in 2005 and 2010), but he has to be regarded as the ultimate big-game player.
A two-time Norm Smith medallist, Hodge could always be relied upon when it mattered most, whether it was putting his body on the line, or executing when the pressure was on.
It's why I think Hodge should be regarded as the most influential player of the Hawks golden era under Alastair Clarkson, ahead of Buddy Franklin and Sam Mitchell.
In recent years, he's also been able to evolve, after it looked like the game was passing him by when he was battling knee problems.
Like Hodge, Gibson has been a big contributor to the club's success.
His two best and fairests in premiership years are testament to his consistency since making the move from Arden Street to Waverley.
Better known at North Melbourne for what he was doing off the field than the work he was doing on it, Gibson developed a maturity and professionalism that will ensure he sits comfortably alongside the best Hawks of this era.
Rarely beaten, he fitted Hawthorn's system perfectly, as a one-on-one defender and someone who could zone off and float across contests as the third man up.
Both Gibson and Matthew Boyd are rookie success stories, with Boyd now the record-holder for rookie-listed players with 292 games.
The Dogs veteran had to fight for a spot on an AFL list, but he never gave up. He had a relentless will and is a great example to young players on what it takes to make it at the top level.
Many people forget just how much of a ball magnet Boyd was at his peak before he reinvented himself off half-back, in turn adding a few more years to his career.
Should the reigning premiers lose, that career will come to an end tonight.
Regardless of whether you barrack for the Dogs, Hawks or anyone else, these guys have provided some of the footballing moments that will live long in the memory.
From Hodge's grand final goal on the boundary to Bob's medal presentation last year, they're images that will endure long after they retire.
And even as time catches up with them, on Friday night you'd think those that are playing might deliver a few final flashes of brilliance to remember.
