In the immediate aftermath of what is being described as one of the most heartbreaking grand final losses in AFL history, Fremantle's players retreated to the bowels of the MCG — a sanctuary away from prying eyes where family members, club employees and reporters filed in and out of the rooms.
Some players were in tears, others clutched their jerseys in disbelief, while many simply stared into space to avoid eye contact. One middle-aged man, presumably a father of a player, embraced each of them, telling them to keep their heads up.
Coach Justin Longmuir, who had overseen the team's rise to genuine contention over seven seasons, was in tears before the final siren. When he gathered his players on the ground immediately after the loss, his message was clear.
"If we had've won, we would've won together. We lost, we lose together, so have each other's back," Longmuir said.
"We play an imperfect game that is full of mistakes, and every game that they have played across their journey they would have made mistakes, it just feels a bit bigger right now."
As difficult and gut-wrenching as it is, Longmuir wants his players to sit in the grief.
Wharfie Time backfires
A week after Brisbane pulled off an improbable preliminary final win many rated the greatest game of all time, the Lions produced another miraculous triumph in a grand final that offered even greater measures of pressure and intensity.
Fremantle's viral celebration, Wharfie Time — inspired by former Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich's 2009 pre-match speech and featuring the tolling bells of AC/DC's Hells Bells — had been approved for use at the MCG on grand final morning. Brisbane coach Chris Fagan had even played the tolling bells to his Lions players in their Friday afternoon meeting.
With 4 minutes and 18 seconds left on the clock, Patrick Voss kicked a goal to put Fremantle up by 17 points. The bells tolled. The purple lights were meant to inspire.
Instead, Brisbane responded with a four-minute burst that will be etched into the minds of those who love the game, snatching victory and securing their third consecutive flag.