It was not the result Canberra fans of the Greater Western Sydney Giants were hoping for on Saturday afternoon, but it was still an exciting moment seeing the young team play in their first grand final.
As the team headed onto the famous grass at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, dedicated fans donned their scarves and caps to watch the game in pubs and clubs around Canberra.
At Public in Manuka, the Egan family watched on as their team's hopes started to slip away.
Brendan Egan said they were originally from Western Sydney and had moved to Canberra, so the Giants had to be the family's team.
Monique Egan said it was "fantastic" to see the team, which was established only a decade ago, make a grand final but it was always tough to watch them get beaten.
James Egan, who plays in a Giants juniors side, had a simple assessment at half time for how the team could improve its grand final standing.
I've seen some good times and I've seen some pretty bad times like today.
Giants supporter Jake Ash
"Kick some goals," he said by way of solid advice at the start of the third quarter.
There was still plenty of emotion for the side's fans gathered at the bar, with salt rubbed into their wounds by a few enthusiastic Richmond supporters.
It was to be an 89-point loss for the Giants, going down to the Richmond Tigers. It was the biggest grand final margin since Geelong beat Port Adelaide in 2007 and the third largest of all time.
Down the back of the pub, Richmond supporter Addison Ridge and Giants supporter Jake Ash were still on speaking terms as the game progressed, but the widening margin was beginning to sting for Mr Ash.
I've seen some good times and I've seen some pretty bad times like today," Mr Ash, who has supported the Giants since moving to Canberra three years ago from Western Australia, said.
Ms Ridge said her number one team was Richmond but number two was the Giants.
But when it came to the last Saturday in September, if both teams were in the grand final, there was no contest between the two, she said.
She said it was "amazing" to see the young team make the grand final but her heart was really in a Richmond win.
"It is good but you do expect a contest and unfortunately it has not panned out that way," Mr Ash told the Sunday Canberra Times.
Instead, Richmond collected their 12th grand final win with Marlion Pickett scoring a goal for the club on debut. He was only the sixth player in the game's history to make his debut in the grand final.
Eleven goals in succession early on in the third quarter to Richmond put a significant dampener on Giants supporters' ambitions.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said there were still positives for Canberra fans after the game.
"Despite the loss today, Giants fans in Canberra should be proud of the achievements of this team in 2019, to make a grand final in only their eighth season was a mammoth effort," he said in a statement.
The Giants players are expected to make their way to Canberra this week to thank their fans for the support.
The team plays four home games at Manuka Oval each year in a deal with the ACT government.
