“We ran out of gas and even though that happened, we still rallied and tried to get ourselves back in the game”

Madison Prespakis was the big shining light out of the Blues’ unfortunate loss however, with Harford noting that her performance is one that will spark and inspire future Women Footballers as well in the expansion of the competition.

“Maddy’s a terrific kid. She’s a great competitor and she’s a class footballer. She wants to be a great player,” he said.

“The next generation of players will be similar to Madison. You’ll see that level of player come through the ranks.”

Yet it wasn’t just Prespakis who was a trooper for the Baggers. It was every player who pushed until the end and every member, kid or adult, who hoped and wished until that final siren.

Although the result didn’t go their way, the Blues have a lot to look forward to in their near future. They’ll just need to string together four quarters, keep up their intensity and continue to be hungry for a hard contest.

The hunger is in their eyes and it shows in their game style too; one they’ll continue to amend until their game is perfect for 120 minutes.

“I think we were the better team for two and a half quarters, but you’ve got to be a four-quarter team,” Harford said.

And the crowd never gave up either. All of them, hanging onto every ball, every kick and every one percenter.

The ghosts of Princes Park are among them, too. The women of today uphold the spirit of the yesteryears in a respectable yet ground breaking manner and they share it with the believers who still choose to stick around.

In front of 3150 believers, the Blues took steps forward. Even when the result didn’t go their way, they made sure to cheer a little louder, scream a little harder and stick around to celebrate the women who inspire them every week.

And as their banner read as the girls strode through, they truly did and will continue to improve, all in order to ‘honour the past and own the future’.