ST KILDA co-captain Lenny Hayes cut a forlorn figure in the Saints' rooms after last week's agonising eigh-point loss to West Coast.
Perhaps one more disposal - on top of the 30 gems he'd already had - might have been the difference between winning and losing in the dying seconds of a thrilling contest.
Tired and sore, Hayes could only wonder as he replayed the final moments in his mind.
With two points separating the teams, it was the Eagles who ripped the ball clear, leaving Hayes a spectator as the reigning premiers sealed victory with an audacious goal.
"They got it out of the centre, had a bloke free and he kicked the goal, that's all she wrote," he said.
"It's disappointing when you have a real crack and come up short. It's always disappointing.
"Just how long the Saints can "come up short" before their premiership window slams shut is anybody's guess, but coach Ross Lyon can still feel the breeze after a tough first year in the job.
"We've got a real core here that we're aiming to build on and the window of opportunity for this group, if you add the right talent, is clearly open," he said.
Six weeks ago you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Saints' fans when Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo resigned.
But concerns linger over the team's depth.
Four-time premiership coach David Parkin said the signings were crucial, but the Saints faced an uphill battle to stay competitive if they failed to develop their list.
"They've got the bare essentials across the board when they're all standing up, but the reality is they don't all stand up and when that happens they've got real deficiencies," he said.
"When certain players are unavailable, there's deficiencies in talent in almost every domain - back, middle and forward.
"Three consecutive finals campaigns under former coach Grant Thomas, before he was sacked at the end of 2006, failed to deliver the ultimate prize.
Parkin uses Sydney's playing list over the same three years and Brisbane Lions' depth of talent during the premiership years of 2001, '02 and '03 to illustrate his point about list management.
"You need two decent ruckman, two decent insiders, two decent carriers and two players who can close down," he said.
"And if you're really well developed, you have one to replace (in each area) if they're not up and going. If you don't have depth, you don't win premierships."
He said the Saints' window was closing fast; bolstering the midfield should be Lyon's priority.
"The midfield is crucial because it covers the back and sets up the front. That's where they're limited.
"Dal Santo's been all over the place and (Leigh) Montagna's had a pretty good year, but they don't have a third really good midfield carrying player."
Parkin said that to win a flag with their present group the Saints would need to stop relying on stars such as Riewoldt (the No. 1 draft pick in 2000), Justin Koschitzke (No. 2 in 2000), Brendon Goddard (No. 1 in 2002) and Luke Ball (No. 2 in 2001).
"Look at Geelong. They almost won last week (against Port Adelaide) after losing three of their best four or five ... they have the capacity to cover those losses."
Former Saints midfielder Justin Peckett said adapting to Lyon's new game plan, combined with "not enough goals", had hurt the Saints' chances this year, but feels the premiership window is still wide open.
"Unless you really bottom out, like Carlton and Richmond have, then I don't subscribe to the theory of the premiership window closing on you," he said.
"What's killed them this year has been an inability to kick enough goals.
"Their goalkickers are great when they're on fire, but go missing some weeks."
"Like most spectators I get frustrated when they don't kick a lot of goals."
Stewart Loewe kicked almost 600 goals for the Saints between 1984 and 2002.
"We didn't have a great deal of depth in the '90s and, just like then, if key players go down we struggle," he said. "Some guys have taken the next step - Jason Gram and Leigh Montagna have been really good - but we don't have enough guys who can get the footy at a stoppage and break free."
Loewe expects veteran and good friend Robert Harvey to play on next season, but said without the dual Brownlow medallist or Hayes on the paddock, the side lacked grunt through the middle.
"Take the real gut-runners out, Lenny Hayes and Rob Harvey, Ball struggling, and we fall away.
"I don't think we've got the depth of onballers that a lot of other clubs have got."
While Lyon was guarded last week, he said running players and ball carriers were high on his list.
"There's no doubt I'd like more run and a little bit of special talent at the feet of Riewoldt and Koschitzke, beyond Stephen Milne," he said.
"We've got a plan and we're going to get there."
