FREMANTLE tagger Ryan Crowley says his first thought after Saturday's Grand Final loss to Hawthorn was "I can't wait to get back into it".
Crowley, whose role in Saturday's decider was a key talking point in the build-up, kept opponent Sam Mitchell to 12 possessions in another brilliant run-with performance.
The 29-year-old's own game, however, was the last thing on his mind in the Fremantle rooms on Saturday evening, with the pain of his first Grand Final defeat still "burning".
"I'm just trying to keep it together … the first thing I was thinking was I can't wait to get back into it," he said.
"They (Hawthorn) were in the same position last year and they went away and tinkered with a few things and they knew they'd be back here.
"I hope all the boys are burning like I am. We'll be back next year."
After falling 24 points behind in the second quarter, the Dockers orchestrated a brilliant comeback after half time, which Crowley said was the result of taking their opportunities.
He said the Fremantle players had been nervous in their first Grand Final, which was played in front of a crowd of 100,007, including a vocal 'Purple Army'.
"I've been in the AFL system for 11 years and I was as nervous as hell … it's just how you harness them," he said.
"We missed some shots that we would have otherwise kicked.
"That hurts a little bit, but there are other aspects of the game that really got away from us.
"Our structure in front of the ball fell away a little bit in the first quarter. That's probably the most disappointing part about it."
Crowley said Fremantle had produced a great season, playing in the club's first Grand Final and setting a new standard for defensive pressure under coach Ross Lyon.
He said the entire group would learn plenty from Saturday's match.
"If you don't come away with a victory, you're [still] going to learn a lot," he said.
"We can't just brush it aside, we're going to have to grow from this."
