The pride of being named player of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup meant little to Alanna Kennedy as she summed up another near-miss for the Matildas at a major tournament.
Australia fell to a 1-0 defeat to Japan in Saturday's final in Sydney courtesy of first-half wonderstrike from Maika Hamano.
"It's kind of sad that we didn't get the job done," Kennedy said.
"I think that's probably what sucked the most, that early goal and then we were chasing the game."
The Matildas emerged with plenty of credit and as fullback Ellie Carpenter noted the loss to Japan was Australia's "best footballing performances in a very long while".
But Australia's players were left to lament a night where Sam Kerr and Caitilin Foord endured off-nights in front of goal and Kennedy missed a late chance to send the game to extra-time.
"I think it just came down to that final execution," Carpenter said.
"Fatigue plays a role in this tournament with rotation and all that.
"This is going to hurt for a while… I just don't think we deserved this loss."
The Matildas once again left Stadium Australia on Sunday without a trophy, and their wait for silverware will now stretch into a 17th year with the Women's World Cup in Brazil 15 months away.
Kennedy, who was named the tournament's best player with five goals from the midfield, has been part of that run of missed chances which includes semi-final finishes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Logic would suggest the door is closing on Australia's golden generation of players to win a trophy as they approach the twilight of their careers.
But Kennedy, who has been reinvented as a deep-lying midfielder under Joe Montemurro, says the Australia manager's approach has ensured they will continue to be contenders.
"It has been a really fun tournament for us as a group," Kennedy said.
"We just said in our post-match chat that the togetherness and the vibe around the team has felt really nice and really special.
"Hopefully, that can continue under Joe over the next year and into the World Cup.
"The more time you have under someone the better and I definitely feel that with this squad and the coaching staff that we have at the moment."
The end? Montemurro feels the golden age has only just begun.
Acutely aware that Australia's golden generation of players is nearing its end, Joe Montemurro has vowed to look to the future as he fights to ensure the Matildas remain in contention for silverware.
Montemurro had less than a 10 month lead-in to Saturday's Women's Asian Cup final in Sydney where Australia fell to an admirable 1-0 loss to Japan that exposed the fine margins of international football.
On another night Australia would have finished the chances that Japan gifted them and the Matildas would have ended a 16-year wait for a trophy.
Montemurro emerges with credit, given how quickly he has implemented his blueprint on a squad which has barely had any training time together under his guidance.
Against Japan, the Matildas were not overawed and held their gloves up against opponents who had ruthlessly dominated their five games en route to the final.
So how much stronger could Australia be at next year's World Cup in Brazil?
"I suppose the whole idea is going into games with our ideas, not so much being scared of the opposition," Montemurro said.
"That's what I'm trying to instill, to say 'we're comfortable in the way we do things'. That should be our base.
"I'll tinker with things as we go but the important thing is that we shouldn't be over-analysing the opposition, because we're confident in what we're doing."
Montemurro is adamant the talent is there for Australia to remain competitive even if an established cohort headlined by Sam Kerr, Katrina Gorry, Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond will be the wrong side of 35 at the next Asian Cup in four years time.
Montemurro has already shown faith in Kaitlyn Torpey and Winonah Heatley at this tournament, while Amy Sayer, who didn't play in Saturday's final, appears ready to be a regular starter in Brazil next year.
"I know Courtney Nevin made a couple of mistakes (against South Korea), but she's playing at Malmo in the Champions League," Montemurro said.
"We've got that next core with Mary Fowler, with Kyra (Cooney-Cross), with Ellie (Carpenter). Wini Heatley has become a world-class defender in three games, so it's exciting."
Depth, however, remains an issue for the Matildas.
Which is why Montemurro also wants to have greater involvement in the tactical direction of Australia's junior national teams to ensure would-be Matildas are ready to make an instant impact at senior level.
"We're trying to just spread this little Joe Montemurro, if you want to call it that, all over the national team spectrum," Montemurro said.
"The thing for me is to make sure that our mentality is this type of football, the way we want to play.
"We want to dominate games, obviously, because that's what the best teams in the world are doing. So can we dominate games like Japan?
"Probably not, but we can find a way where we can have control with the ball, but also find ways without it."
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