It was a video that summed up the excruciatingly tough reality of pre-season.
After being put through their paces in the hot Spanish sun, Swansea City's Jamie Paterson gave us all a brief snapshot into what has clearly been a gruelling start to the new era under Michael Duff.
In the short video, which was posted to Paterson's Instagram story, several Swansea players can be seen slumped in the dressing room, soaked in sweat, totally devoid of energy and barely able to even speak to one another.
“That video was class, wasn’t it?” Paterson said recently.
“I’ve got a few more but that one was the best one because there were four people in a row.
“I had a fair few replies from Swansea fans on that one saying ‘glad to see you’re working hard’. You’ve got to show the fans that you’re working hard, haven’t you?
“The time in Spain has been fun. It’s been hard work, especially in this weather, but it’s been good to get everyone away having a laugh together."
To see Paterson in the thick of things also felt significant. Twice his Swansea career has seemingly come close to an end. Twice he's been brought back from the brink.
This time last year, the forward signed a new deal after an initial fall-out with the club, only to then be exiled from the team once more just a few months later. A January exit, for the second consecutive time, looked inevitable. But despite speculation, it never arrived.
When Russell Martin revealed Paterson was to come back into the fold during the final throes of the last campaign, it raised plenty of eyebrows. Second chances can be hard to come by. Third chances are often even rarer.
Water under the bridge? Perhaps. But had Martin stayed on, there was always a risk that those 'disagreements' behind the scenes might just have lingered.
Under Duff, the former Bristol City man may well feel like this is a clean slate, and seeing him at the heart of Swansea's pre-season media content points to a player very much in the first-team frame.
Given the hugely positive impact he had early on during his Swansea career, it's easy to see why. Paterson at his best clearly has the ability to make a difference at this level, although Swans fans will understandably feel they simply haven't seen enough of his obvious talent.
It feels like there's a point to prove, although Paterson isn't the only one who needs to make the most of the clean slate offered to him.
Morgan Whittaker, a shell-shocked protagonist of Paterson's viral video, was a huge hit on loan at Plymouth Argyle last season, which is probably why he was recalled back in January.
But it's probably fair to say he didn't quite fit into Martin's blueprint during the second half of the season.
Duff has promised evolution rather than revolution, but his approach may well be more accommodating, although there's still a possibility he may be moved on before the close of the transfer window should an acceptable offer come in.
With just one year left on his current deal, one could perhaps say the same about Olivier Ntcham. The 27-year-old has already been linked with a move away this summer, although those suggestions are understood to be wide of the mark at this stage.
Like Paterson, there's a real case for keeping him on board from a footballing perspective. When he hits top form, he's arguably one of the most talented attacking options in this squad.
But again, some might feel his talent hasn't yet produced enough in terms of consistently high performances.
That might not be entirely down to the player himself, mind. After 21 league starts last term, Ntcham hasn't always been too happy with the amount of game-time afforded to him over the last couple of seasons. As a result, he's seemingly ready to make the Swans wait until next summer before even entertaining the idea of a new deal.
But he will clearly have to take some level of responsibility if he does want to make a fist of things over the coming campaign. An Olivier Ntcham firing on all cylinders is difficult to leave out, after all.
If he can hit top form and stay there, he might well get the game-time he feels he deserves and that, perhaps, might open the door for a new contract.
Elsewhere, the two returning loanees Kyle Joseph and Nathanael Ogbeta will surely be keen to catch the eye over the coming weeks.
Joseph netted 10 goals in all competitions on loan at League One Oxford United last season. Duff knows all about the striker's abilities having taken him on a similar stint at Cheltenham Town, and with the Swans currently light of attacking options, there is clearly a space to be filled.
Whether the 21-year-old can make that step up is another question of course.
Ogbeta, meanwhile, clearly struggled to impress Duff's predecessor, before he was sent out on a reasonably successful loan at Peterborough United. Again, with the Swans short of full-back options, he too may well get an opportunity to impress.
