BRISBANE'S dressing room was full of emotion following Saturday's Grand Final loss, with co-captain Harris Andrews imploring his team to feel the hurt and come back better next year.
Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale and midfield partner Josh Dunkley were just two of the players to shed tears with loved ones as the Lions came within a goal of premiership glory.
MATCH REPORT Magpies outlast Lions in thrilling Grand Final
Although Andrews said the result had not quite sunk in, he said the Lions were "really hurt" by the four-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG.
Brisbane was within striking distance all day, hitting the lead inside the final six minutes through a Charlie Cameron goal, but ultimately fell short.
"We'll come back next year and that'll be the fire in our belly," Andrews said.
"The boys need to soak that up, know how that feels and use that to power them."
The club's hierarchy, including chairman Andrew Wellington, CEO Greg Swann and football manager Danny Daly all looked forlorn in the rooms.
Andrews, who was one of his team's best players and became more influential the longer the match went, said Collingwood was sensational all year and deserved to win.
"We've shown in years gone by, (lost in) straight sets in finals, disappointment in preliminary finals, we've acknowledged we've fallen short and then we've been able to steer our own journey," he said.
"If we pushed it under the carpet and said, 'It didn't happen', that would leave us in a bad place.
"That's what this group has done well, driven by 'Fages', our ability to learn from our mistakes.
"I've got no doubt the boys will be hurting at the moment.
"It'll take a little while to sink in, but at the end of the day, we'll come back, ready to go."
