Richmond coach Adem Yze tried to remain upbeat after the Tigers pushed finals contenders GWS to the line on Saturday, but found it hard to hide his disappointment after relinquishing a three-quarter-time lead of 28 points.
Ruing missed opportunities in front of goal, the Tigers kicked 17 behinds from their 27 scoring shots, while GWS' efficiency in front of the sticks ultimately paid dividends as Callum Brown kicked the match-winner with less than five minutes remaining - and the goal to put the Giants in front for the first time since they kicked the opening major of the game.
While Yze was proud of the effort across the majority of the match, it was visible that handing over a strong margin in the final term hurt the young Tigers group.
"I feel we've almost got a split personality in the rooms at the moment," Yze said.
"So proud of our effort, so proud of our start, and to be fair, so proud of every quarter really. The last quarter got away from us a little bit, but it wasn't method, it wasn't system, it was just slight role execution.
"They're really good. Their good players played really well in the last quarter, and they just finished their work. So as a group, we sit here really flat, but at the same time, understand that we're on the right path.
"We come up on a mission as a footy club, our VFL team had a great win, and we're a few minutes away from having an enormous win for our footy club.
"We'll look at all of the reasons behind it. We'll look at all the positives on why we started well and why we dominated for the majority of the game, and then find out the reasons why that last quarter got away from us. So it's pretty clear, but really disappointed."
Yze didn't want to label any excuses, such as youth or travel, for the loss.
It's the second fourth-quarter fadeout in as many weeks after scoring just eight points in the final term against Essendon, while it's also the second loss by under a kick in three weeks after Richmond fell agonisingly close to a win against North Melbourne in Round 10, leaving the playing group "angry" after another fourth-quarter collapse.
"The execution, and I think just their talent in the last quarter just shone," Yze said.
"It's something that we're striving for, where we're trying to get to - they're competing in big games and finals, and that's where we want to get to.
"Some of our younger boys will be better for it, but at the same time, they're angry that we didn't win."
Richmond take on Sydney in Round 13 before reaching their bye round, with a clash against the Western Bulldogs to follow.