Coburg has missed breaking its finals duck by the barest of margins.
The Burgers haven't featured in a VFL finals series since 2007, and with one round remaining in the home-and-away season, Coburg sat inside the top 10.
However, a loss to Southport, who also missed finals by a goal on Saturday, left control of its destiny out of Coburg's hands.
The Burgers needed Carlton and GWS to lose their respective VFL matches on Sunday. While the Giants fell to Tasmania - a story within itself as the Devils qualified for finals in their first year - the Blues triumphed over Footscray to sneak into finals and break Burgers' hearts.
Coburg finishes the season in 11th, 0.4 percentage points away from 10th-placed Frankston, who claimed the final spot in the Wildcard Round.
Off-season recruit Jaidyn Stephenson did his best to drag the Burgers over the line during the six-point loss to the Sharks.
Stephenson booted 8.1 as he and his teammates desperately fought to keep their season alive.
Four standalone clubs qualified for the VFL finals series, with Werribee (second), Port Melbourne (sixth), Williamstown (eighth), and Frankston (10th) fighting alongside the AFL-affiliated clubs for the premiership.
Tasmania's introduction into the league has been a highlight, with strong crowds flocking to every home game and the players putting out performances to match.
The Devils, at the time of publication, sit in third spot on the ladder with only Box Hill able to overtake them in the standings.
Footscray, the reigning premiers, scraped into the finals, finishing ninth as the Dogs look to defend their crown.
