Of course, Dean Bailey knew on Sunday night that his time as Melbourne coach was over when coach Jim Stynes rang him on Sunday night to tell him the news.
The only hint of bitterness in his press conference on Monday - and it was only a hint - came when he expertly evaded a question about whether club legend Garry Lyon had played a part in his demise.
"You'll have to ask him," was Bailey's shortly reply.
When asked whether he had the backing of the club, Bailey, quite pointedly, said he had the support of his players. His omission of other key personnel, namely chief executive Cameron Schwab and football manager Chris Connolly, was a clear inference that not all sections of the Melbourne hierarchy were behind the coach.
Even in those moments Bailey said a lot by saying little. It was never going to be his style to go out swinging. He faced the media as you would expect - with
grace, measured composure and subtle sense of humour.
One example was when asked when and how he received the news of his dismissal: "It was a bit after 8 o'clock when Jimmy rang through and said 'I've got some bad news for you and some s..t news for you.' I don't think he needed to say too much after that."
That confidence and humour on undoubtedly the toughest day in Bailey's professional life was a microcosm of the four years he had as Melbourne coach.
Melbourne finished dead last in Bailey's first two seasons as senior players David Neitz, Adem Yze, Russell Robertson, Matthew Whelan and Jeff White brought their careers to a close.
He was in charge of a young and inexperienced list and his main brief was to develop them for the long-term future.
So as the results didn't go his way, Bailey never wavered from his vision.
He was criticised by some for being too bland and boring in his media appearances, but as those of us who have been on the Melbourne beat in the past few years would know, he was an engaging person who knew when the media pack had overdosed on the serious pills.
The Demons lost their first two games under Bailey by more than 90 points and reigning premiers Geelong were next on the horizon at Skilled Stadium.
Bailey's poor start as coach was the agenda for the day and his weekly media conference had a bigger attendance than usual as the Demons looked set for a mauling.
One newspaper reporter, not often seen at the weekly pressers, earnestly asked Bailey if there were any mentors he had sought out after his nightmarish start.
Deadpan, Bailey replied that he had been in regular touch with NBA coaching legend Phil Jackson. The reporter nodded along, thinking he had the angle for his story, before Bailey had to explain that he was joking.
His sense of humour was also on hand before round one this season when Luke Tapscott faced the media ahead of his first AFL game.
Bailey had stood side by side with a clearly nervous Tapscott before moving around and behind the cameras to fire a few of his own questions at the defender. It prompted laughs from the media gallery and settled Tapscott, who was feeling more than a bit uneasy under the glare.
It could be said that Bailey's demise was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He did after all take over at a relatively under-resourced club that was already undergoing generational change.
But his legacy as Melbourne coach will lie not in his win-loss record but rather in the emergence of Melbourne's next crop of senior players who he played a vital role in recruiting and developing.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
Luke Holmesby covers Melbourne news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_LHolmesby
