It was a losing streak that threatened to kill off the club.
So it's not surprising that after 1091 days, and almost exactly three years, when the win finally came it was celebrated like a grand final: with a 12-hour party.
The University of Canberra Stars ended a 41-game winless streak with their 32-20 victory over the Googong Goannas in the George Tooke Shield.
It was all the more remarkable given they lost their previous game 106-0 against the North Canberra Bears.
Fittingly, Stars co-captain Reece Neaves scored a try and set up a couple more.
He's the only remaining player from the Stars' previous win - a 28-12 victory over the Boomanulla Raiders on June 4, 2023 - although his co-captain Connor Allan also played that season, just not in that win.
Allan scored the match-sealing try against the Goannas with about five minutes to go.
The Stars only managed a draw in 2024 before losing every game last year.
But six rounds into this season they've finally ended the drought, with their sights set on backing up against the Bungendore Tigers at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday.
"We were over the moon," Neaves told The Canberra Times.
"There was plenty of beers drunk after that. It was awesome.
"We were sort of with each other probably for the next 12 hours after that win."
For Stars coach Dylan Barton it was more a feeling of relief the monkey was finally off their back.
2023: Two wins - 28-12 v Boomanulla Raiders on June 4; 50-14 v Burrangong Bears on May 6.
He used to coach the Stars' women, before taking over the men's team after the winless '24 season.
"The best way to describe it was just relief," Barton said.
"To finally get that monkey off the back, get that win that we've been talking about for nearly exactly three years now.
"There was certainly a period there where it was pretty touch and go, keeping the side together."
Neaves joined the Stars in 2021, although he took last season off to concentrate on his forensic science studies.
But he was finishing his studies after the first semester this year so he decided to pull the boots back on.
Neaves said it was hard to build "chemistry" as a university team because they "lose half our players every year".
"It's really hard as a uni team because we've got a new team every year with all the new uni students coming in," he said.
"So that's the thing.
"You're playing against these established clubs who can build a good team over a couple of years where we will lose half our players every year and get a new half."
GEORGE TOOKE SHIELD ROUND SEVEN
Saturday: UC Stars v Bungendore Tigers at Raiders Belconnen, 2.30pm.
