Inverell coach Ariki Wineti cut an emotional figure as he consoled with his players after their premiership hopes were crushed by Pirates, but also a proud one.
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Not just because of the heart they showed in Saturday's minor semi-final, but what they did throughout the season to get there.
It's the first time the club has featured in the first grade finals for around 10 years, and they were only a couple of points from playing for the right to host the grand final.
Ultimately they were outplayed by a more experienced and finals savvy opponent, but the 35-14 scoreline doesn't do the Highlanders justice for how much they tested Pirates.
The premiers looked early like they might be going to run away with it but the home side hung in there, and for much of the game, from 20 minutes onwards, were only a converted try away.
They had good chances to draw level a couple of times too, but weren't able to capitalise on them, much to Wineti's lament.
"We had enough opportunities out there to win that game but we probably weren't smart enough with the ball and pushed the past, got greedy on the line," he reflected.
The big one was the penalty that Nick McCrohan earned metres out from the Highlanders line that led to Jayden Kitchener-Waters' try and essentially sealed the win for Pirates.
"I think mentally the boys knew it (the game was gone then)," Wineti said.
"It's amazing how you can go from one end of the paddock and looking good, to letting tries in down the other end."
But that is something they will learn with more experience.
As he pointed out, a lot of them hadn't played finals footy before.
Only half-back Pulu Maea was there last time they made the finals. Centre Tom Bucknell won a grand final with Robb and made one with Walcha but other than that their finals experience was pretty limited.
Comparably only a couple of the Pirates hadn't tasted finals before. Wineti felt that experience was a factor.
"It's invaluable," he said.
"When it came time to switch on they switched on and when the game was there for the taking they took it."
"You can't take it away from those guys. They do it year in year out and they're just hard footy players and mentally I think might have got us in the end."
But, as he told his disappointed charges in their huddle after the game, they have a lot to be proud of.
"[I said] Just stay positive and enjoy what we've done this year. It's been a long time coming for the club," he said.
"We've been a club that's sort of settled for mediocre, since I've been here, so about eight years. That's something I wanted to change this year.
"And I think we've changed the culture.
"We've brought kids back to the ground, it's back to being a family club, and people coming in to watch.
"I'm proud of what the team's done this year."
It was for a few of the "elder statesmen" probably their last hurrah, Wineti mentioning skipper Luther Robinson and Scott Houston, but he believes they can certainly be contending for finals again next year.
"Most definitely. If we get the core of the group back and really work hard on these young blokes..
"We've got some young front rowers here that are coming through, like in their early 20s," he said.
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