In 49 games spanning four years, Postecoglou never portrayed emotion like he did on Wednesday.
Through all the highs and lows, all the criticism and praise that came with coaching the Socceroos, Postecoglou's surly, stubborn public demeanour was the constant.
It was appropriate that when everything finally got the better of him, it was on his terms.
Confirming what he'd refused to address for more than a month of intense speculation, the departing Postecoglou spoke of the toll the "all-encompassing" job had taken on him.
But it was revealing the sacrifices made by his family that brought the 52-year-old to the brink of tears.
"To my three boys James, Max, Alexi, you make me smile every day," Postecoglou said.
"And to my beautiful wife ... I left 24 hours after Max was born because we played Ecuador in London ... I'll never be able to repay the sacrifices she's made for me to follow my dream."
The weight of a decision he'd grappled with for up to eight months still did not end in relief, as Postecoglou conceded he'd carry with him "a sense of unfinished business" by not taking the team he painstakingly rebuilt to next year's World Cup in Russia.
A week after ensuring Australia qualified for a fourth-successive showpiece and less than 24 hours after a crunch meeting with FFA chief executive David Gallop and chairman Steven Lowy, the 52-year-old detailed with nostalgia "the biggest privilege" of his life, and with a hint of poignance that this wasn't the end he'd envisaged.
The reasons were numerous, foremost a desire to spend more time with family and realise his dream of coaching club football in Europe.
Amid talk of a strained relationship with FFA and frustration over heavy media scrutiny, it still didn't feel like the whole story.
But Postecoglou didn't have the whole story - only intuition.
"I just have an instinct, I think it's the right time for me, the right time for the organisation," he said.
"And that, as tough a decision as it is for me, it feels like the right time.
"I have loved this job but it's been all-encompassing, and it hasn't just been coaching the national team - the part I love is the coaching."
