ADELAIDE captain Nathan van Berlo says he learned an important lesson from the Crows' failed 2005 and 2006 premiership assaults: make the most of your opportunities.
Van Berlo, who plays his 150th AFL game this weekend when the Crows meet North Melbourne on Sunday, was a first-year player in 2005, selected as the 24th pick in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft by a Crows unit ready for immediate success.
Led by Mark Ricciuto, the club finished top of the table in 2005, but bowed out to West Coast in the preliminary final.
It was a similar story the following year after Adelaide finished second in the minor round and downed Fremantle in the second qualifying final.
The Crows fell agonisingly short of a Grand Final berth, again ousted by the Eagles after taking a 22-point lead into half time.
Van Berlo said the bitter disappointment those years brought taught him that success was precious.
"I still remember back in my first year of footy in 2005 we finished top and we lost a final against West Coast over in WA," he told AFL.com.au.
"To see the disappointment on guys like Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and Tyson Edwards, virtually in tears after the game … you need to take your opportunities when given the chance."
While his first few years in the AFL ended in heartbreak, van Berlo said much of what he knows today was taught to him early in his career.
Under the guidance of Ricciuto and then Goodwin, the 26-year-old learned about leadership from two of the greats.
"They both played a lot of footy and had been involved in some success as well, so it was great learning curve for me just to see how they went about their footy," he said.
"The whole list we had at that time was an experienced group, we had (Andrew) McLeod, (Tyson) Edwards, (Brett) Burton, (Jason) Torney, (Nathan) Bassett; the list was really deep at that stage.
"I was certainly a sponge in my first few years."
On the eve of his milestone match, van Berlo admitted he never aspired to captain a football team.
Growing up in Western Australia, he said he idolised the likes of Chris Mainwaring and Peter Matera and, later, Michael Voss and James Hird.
Leadership wasn't his priority - he just wanted to enjoy his footy.
"For me [those players] were well and truly out of my league and it was just about going out there trying to get a kick on the weekend and have a bit of fun," he said.
"I've been so lucky with the way my career's panned out for me in that I've come to a great club and been given opportunities here that I may or may not have got elsewhere.
"I owe a lot to them and a lot to the players I've had around me over the years because they've helped me get to where I am".
Harry Thring covers Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.
