Western Bulldogs will be haunted over summer by the one that got away after their seven-point loss to Adelaide in the elimination final at the MCG on Saturday night.
The image of Lachie Hunter firing an errant handball to Stewart Crameri late in time-on and Taylor Walker racing away moments later to set up the game-sealing Charlie Cameron goal will be replayed over and over.
Key statistics pointed towards a comfortable Dogs win: 10 more inside 50s, 20 more clearances, 18 more tackles, 45 more possessions and three more scoring shots, but Adelaide won where it mattered on the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs simply lacked the composure to close out the game.
Slipshod kicking for goal early in the game came back to bite the Bulldogs.
Should we be surprised by the manner of the Dogs finals exit?
This is an inexperienced finals outfit with youngsters playing in key roles.
They made all the kinds of mistakes you would expect from a young team.
There were seven more advanced teams playing in September and the way the Bulldogs acquitted themselves against a quality Crows outfit should be heartening for first-year coach Luke Beveridge.
The experience of playing in front of 60,000 people under lights at the MCG is priceless.
The next time the Bulldogs are confronted with such a task, they will have those three hours to draw upon and will remember the hurt they felt at the end of the game.
“The amount of young players we played, the journey they’ve taken our football club and our supporters on, they deserve a lot of credit, but you want it to hurt a little bit and burn,” Beveridge said. “I was glad we played here [at the MCG] because we want to continue to grow.
“We envisage winning big finals out here at some point in the future.
“Today was an opportunity we didn’t take, so I’m glad we played at the G.”
The Bulldogs future is undoubtedly bright.
They have brought a playing style to the league that a neutral can’t help but be drawn to.
It’s bold, fast and exciting and goes away from the dour defensive football that has drawn criticism of some teams at the top level.
It has put the Bulldogs back on the map and should lead to prime time football next season.
But it will also be open to questions about whether it can stand up in September and only time will tell.
When their style is executed to the nth degree, it can lead to heavy scoring by the Bulldogs.
They need to adapt better defensive mechanisms to halt a run-on by an opposition team.
Too often this season, the Bulldogs gave up heavy scoring in a short space of time, with the home-and-away games against West Coast and St Kilda springing to mind.
The Bulldogs led three goals to zip against the Crows, but trailed at the quarter time break.
To win big finals, you cannot afford to be scored against so heavily in a short space of time.
This will go down as a harsh, but much needed, learning experience.
The journey to get there was fun and a touch unexpected after the upheaval of a summer that saw the captain, coach and chief executive all exit.
“It’s gut wrenching,” Beveridge said. “I just said to the players, they’re obviously extremely disappointed, but just to walk out with their heads held high for everything they’ve done for our footy club and how far they’ve come.
“It’s a balance between this hurting and being in our memory banks and maybe helping us next time.
“A balance between that and recognising their contributions and what they’ve done this year.”
