The hurt still lingers, but Collingwood can see brighter days ahead after their gut-wrenching AFL grand final defeat.
The Magpies were pipped at the post by West Coast on Saturday, falling five points short of a 16th premiership flag.
The despair at losing such a close match was made plain by Collingwood's midfield kingpin Taylor Adams, who said he expected to wallow in the pain for some time.
"There's no words that are going to make us feel any better," Adams said.
"The only way we were going to be happy after this game is if we won. And we didn't win.
"There's more to life than footy but for the next couple of days its going to be tough to feel good."
In time, many Magpies will come to be at peace with their grand final performances; notably Adams.
The 25-year-old was a bulldozer in midfield, collecting 18 contested possessions to finish runner-up to Norm Smith Medallist Luke Shuey.
Others were also outstanding.
Chris Mayne brought superb pressure, laying 14 tackles.
Jordan De Goey threatened throughout while at the other end, Tom Langdon was magnificent in his commitment.
Bayden Sier and Jaidyn Stephenson were fantastic for first-year players.
Travis Varcoe was lively, and Adam Treloar had moments of brilliance.
Brodie Grundy wasn't as busy as usual but still monstered the hit-outs, tapping 21 times to advantage compared to West Coast's total of seven.
All creditable performances, and reason enough for Collingwood to believe they can compete for the 2019 premiership.
"I'm proud of this footy club and what we've built," Adams said.
"It's much more than what one performance shows.
"It runs deeper than that. "We'll bounce back. It'll take time but we'll get over it and move on."
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