Fremantle defender Jordan Clark has opened up about the devastation of not being able to extend Nat Fyfe's career deeper into the finals, saying it "rips your heart out".
The Dockers' flag hopes ended on Saturday night when they suffered a one-point loss to Gold Coast in an enthralling elimination final.
The result officially ended Fyfe's career, with the two-time Brownlow medallist walking off into the sunset without the thing he wanted the most - a premiership.
While Fyfe insists he is at peace with how his career ended, his teammates aren't feeling the same.
"It's hard. Honestly mate, it rips your heart out," Clark told AAP.
"We've lost one of our greatest ever players of the club ... it all just feels a bit shit to be honest.
"We've built our club around him for such a long period of time, and he's been so good to us - whether it be on the field, off the field.
"To lose the heart and soul of the change room like him, typical big brother sort of leader, they're irreplaceable blokes.
"It's a big hole that we're going to have to fill."
Fremantle fought from 26 points down against Gold Coast to snatch a six-point lead with less than three minutes remaining.
But a Mac Andrew goal with 72 seconds to go and then a David Swallow point with nine seconds left on the clock sealed the dramatic win for Gold Coast.
"It's pretty devastating to be honest," Clark said.
"We're a tough team to beat, and we've proven that over the last few months.
"To go down by a point and it's over for the year, it hurts."
Given Fremantle's age profile and the sheer amount of talent on the list, Fyfe predicts the Dockers will have another five or six bites at the premiership cherry.
The Dockers developed a knack for winning close games in 2025, and their ability to fight back from three-quarter time deficits was another of their traits.
"I couldn't speak higher of the quality of people we have in this group," Clark said.
"I'm so proud to be a part of this group. We're a bloody tough team to play against. We're a tough team to beat, and we've shown it.
"But whenever you bow out, and it's not at the end. It hurts. I'm proud of our fightback, but I'm not content with that."
Clark provided one of the big highlights of Saturday's match with his high-flying second-quarter spoil to deny Gold Coast a certain mark near goal.
The All-Australian defender fell heavily to the ground and needed some time to recover, but it typified his commitment to the team's cause.
