SHELL-shocked and grim-faced, Hull FC's players sat on the Wembley pitch and watched as Wigan Warriors lifted the trophy they so badly wanted.
It was a haunting moment that despite all the eagerness for positivity this week, is unlikely to fade from memory for sometime.
In a cruel twist, Hull's players will be provided with a swift reminder of their Challenge Cup failings this evening at the DW Stadium.
Returning to Super League matters, Hull will have to watch as the trophy is again paraded and the Warriors' fans celebrate.
It's a moment Richard Whiting admits Hull's players have prepared themselves for and one which may provide the inspiration for a performance and result which will get the Black and Whites' season back on track.
"For us, we have to come together as a group and shut ourselves off from everything else going on," Whiting told the Mail.
"We can use the Wigan fans celebrating and what is going on to bring us closer together but it has to act as a positive.
"We need to prove to ourselves and our fans that we are a lot better than what we tossed up on Saturday. There is nobody more disappointed than the players about the final and it is up to us to start putting that right tonight."
Whiting's despair was clear to see at Wembley as he trudged off, dejected after a display he admits was nowhere near good enough.
It wasn't so much the loss that hurt, it was the manner of the performance.
While over 20,000 Hull fans left annoyed at seeing their side blow a chance of that first-ever Wembley win, it was a feeling echoed inside a miserable changing room.
"It has been tough and the toughest part is feeling like we beat ourselves," adds Whiting.
"We know we didn't go out and perform and we didn't put Wigan under any pressure. On reflection, if we had played to our potential we would have won the game.
"That is the most frustrating thing and the hardest thing to get over. There isn't any set way to get over a loss like that.
"You just come back to training, knuckle down and try and get ready for the game this week."
Eager to not let the final defeat have any more of a detrimental effect, Whiting and his team-mates have put a brave face on things this week at training.
For the 28-year-old back-rower, there has been the exciting confirmation of a testimonial season in 2014 to lift his spirits.
Whiting is convinced from the agony of defeat Hull will emerge stronger. It's an easy throw-away line. But behind the words the utility man appears to have the genuine belief his side will come back stronger for the experience.
"There is nobody more disappointed than the players. But this is a learning curve too," he adds.
"We will back ourselves to get there again next year and the year after. We will be a lot better team going forwards because of the experience of this year.
"If you look at the cup run as a whole, barring the final we have gone up against top teams and come up with some very good performances.
"I think we can take that into the play-offs. We have shown not only that we can match the top teams but also out-perform them when we are on our game.
"We have to look back at the final and find ways to make sure that if we get on that big stage again we don't freeze, which is a little bit of what happened.
"It was evident watching us in the second half that there was panic and we had sensed things were not going our way. Players were doing things they don't normally do and that was a case of us not handling the occasion.
"We have to learn from that and come back stronger, and I think we will."
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