IN FOOTBALL, as in life, actions become habits, habits become character, and character becomes destiny. Jimmy Bartel met his destiny at the MCG yesterday afternoon, showing the character that has marked a very public week, and his 23 years that led up to it.

Bartel's strong actions were evident throughout the day. He was one of the first players onto the famous turf, his socks down and jumper out, as if determined to make a statement that he might have won the game's highest honour on Monday night, but he was here today unashamedly blue-collar, and devoted to the team. Bartel said after his Brownlow win that he would "rather not get a kick at all if (it means) we win the premiership", but his 28-disposal contribution was marked by the sort of team play on which he prides himself: marshalling troops, emerging from underneath packs, flicking handpasses from traffic to open running teammates.

Only once was there a hint of flair — and it stood out like a canola field during a long country drive — when he snapped a left-foot goal off two steps in the first term.

Matched against Port Adelaide's All-Australian onballer, Kane Cornes, he was prepared to allow his opponent to win less damaging possessions in the back half, in order to fulfil his team role of floating across half-back, blocking the holes in front of Port's forwards.

Midway through the opening term, he put his body on the line to intercept a pass destined for a charging Warren Tredrea, drawing congratulatory pats from teammates and a shove in the chest from the 100-kilogram Port captain. Bartel took both in his stride.

Moments later he was off the ground having his right thumb strapped after it "slid out". It changed his approach not one jot.

His attack on the ball remained fierce throughout, notably late in the second term when he barrelled through a pack, cleaning up the Power's Dean Brogan, sending the 200-centimetre ruckman limping to the bench. Whenever it was Bartel's turn to go, he went. No questions, just head over the ball, shoulder turned to the opponent.

Even in the dying moments, as he prepared to savour the greatest moment of his life, Bartel was thinking of teammates. "I think the runner came out and said, '30 seconds to go', and (Cameron) Lingy said, 'Let's just have a look around, there's 97,000 people here', and I told him to look out because I was going to give him the biggest bear hug of my life."

Upon the final siren, the two no-frills midfielders embraced for 20 seconds on the outer wing, before falling to the ground, then rampaging off to celebrate with others.

In the rooms afterwards, Bartel's sole focus after he had broken away from the team was to find his family. He linked arms with older sisters Olivia and Emma, and his mother, Dianne. All had been disappointed to find the estrangement of Jimmy's father, Ray, on the front page of a Melbourne newspaper last Wednesday. "It was only 24 hours in and someone wanted to rain on my parade," Bartel said. "It was a pretty special moment for me, but someone wanted to wreck it for me … But it only brought my family closer together, as other things have done. Gave me even more resolve to want to try to win on the weekend."

While Jimmy did interviews, both sisters made faces and poked out their tongues behind the media, trying to make their brother laugh. Olivia observed later: "We didn't need a Brownlow or a premiership medallion to be proud of him."

The past three Brownlow medallists to play in grand finals — Nathan Buckley, 2003, Ben Cousins, 2005, Adam Goodes, 2006 — had all left the game's biggest stage disappointed, and Bartel could understand why. "It's pretty emotionally draining. On Wednesday night I hit the wall, went to bed at about 7pm and didn't get up until about 10 o'clock the next day."

For Bartel, the day was all about family and friends, even supporters — he walked a lap of the ground high-fiving fans who leaned over the fence, even though his strapped-up thumb "hurt like hell". But having won All-Australian honours, a Brownlow, and now the ultimate prize, he might allow himself to sit back and let it all sink in.

"The Brownlow … I'm so proud of it, but the thing I wanted, every one of our players wanted, was a premiership." Through his actions and his character, Jimmy Bartel yesterday met that destiny.