The Mandurah Mustangs' sparkling run came to a close as they fell nine points short of Baldivis in a preliminary final on Saturday.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for the young group, who slipped away after a three-minute barrage from the Brumbies late in the third term, but by no means a soul-crushing one.
Mandurah's season has been nothing short of stellar for a club so starved of success.
It had been nine years since their most recent finals campaign, a dour stretch that saw triple-figure drubbings become commonplace.
Over the previous two seasons they had won just four games, not even sniffing the post-season.
But that changed this year, with a reinvigorated group of young talent eager to get on the park and enjoy their footy together.
That enjoyment was coach George Costello's motto from the get-go, as he tried to bring some fun back to Mustangs football.
Along with that came the wins, as they compiled a 9-9 record in the regular season before winning a pair of finals matches to progress to the preliminary round.
But, perhaps most importantly, Costello said the group had brought a winning culture back to the history-rich club.
"I'm just super proud of the boys," he said.
"After the game I made sure they didn't drop their heads. They need to remember what they accomplished and how far they've come this year.
"Even in that preliminary final alone we never gave in, and we might even have been playing in a grand final if it wasn't for three minutes of footy.
"I've been at the Mustangs club since 1996 and I struggle to remember a more enjoyable season."
Now, for the first time in a decade, Mandurah can enter the off-season with genuine optimism.
Like any country footy club they'll lose a few players, gain a few more and hope to enter the new year with a new edge.
But if they can keep the crux of their young side in tact, that's all they'll need to be a finals contender once again next season.