August and September have delivered agony for perennial contender West Coburg in the past four seasons.
The Burgers lost three consecutive grand finals from 2022-24 and were bundled out in straight sets last year after finishing the home-and-away rounds in second spot.
However, the unbreakable bonds through the playing group have come to the fore amid adversity.
The Community Bank Strathmore Division One outfit has managed to retain their stars, top up with key recruits, and have players return.
While other clubs may have experienced an exodus after a heartbreaking run of close misses, West Coburg is hoping to harness the pain of past campaigns to claim an elusive flag this season after finishing minor premier.
"It's an incredibly close group. People who have played together through juniors. It's the sort of thing that's a little bit hard to explain to be honest until you're actually part of the club," Burgers co-captain Dinny Cleary said.
"We have boys that have gone to school together, grown up together, have lived nearby, and therefore you have a bit of a different bond compared to if you're just constantly recruiting new players.
"While you can of course create strong bonds there, when you play juniors and you come up the ranks with players, it does create a really special tie within the club.
"Because we've had a lot of success as well over the past few years, it creates a bit of momentum and encourages you to keep playing together as well. I think we all want to be part of success together.
"We've recruited a couple of players this year, which helps, but to also have that core group stick together creates a really good atmosphere around the club as well."
Dual Richmond premiership player Brandon Ellis, the experienced Belal Abou-Eid and Muhammad Saad, who is back after a stint at Newport, headlined West Coburg's off-season acquisitions.
Guns Omar Saad and Ibrahim Taha returned mid-season in 2025, underlining the club's ability to not only retain and recruit, but also lure ex-players.
"You don't want to miss out on that success when it does come, and we're really hoping it comes this year," Cleary said.
"The bond we have as a playing group is immense, and it's a really positive part of the club."
The Burgers' most recent senior flag came in Division One in 2014 before a four-year stay in Premier Division.
(Image: JAG Imaging)
Cleary said they were in a good position to stay put in the top flight should they earn promotion, pointing to stability on and off the ground.
The club also boasts no shortage of under-18 talent and Cleary said it continued to prioritise its juniors, who "are the centrepiece of every strong club".
"Hopefully if we do go up to Premier Division, we can really consolidate our work there and then stay there with the big clubs," Cleary said.
But arguably no club is more aware than West Coburg that premierships are hard-earned in the EDFL's second tier.
Division One has delivered another engrossing season, with the Burgers, Oak Park, and Moonee Valley finishing locked on 15 wins.
While West Coburg has greater ambitions, claiming the minor premiership was no easy feat in 2026.
"It's been an incredibly close competition and the real positive of Division One is how close it is for a big portion of the teams," Cleary said.
"For us to finish on top gives us a lot of confidence going into finals. Obviously a couple of losses in the last five weeks (against Oak Park and Moonee Valley), but I think we have really worked well addressing what our issues were, so we have a lot of confidence.
"I think it's real positive for us to have the week off and just get bodies feeling good and refreshed and head towards a strong finals campaign."
Cleary said the group was "incredibly hungry" to claim the ultimate prize after the heartache of previous years.
"You take the disappointment that comes with that, but at the same time you've got to turn that into momentum and hunger," he said.
"We have a lot of boys in this group who have experienced those losses, but we also have some new boys as well who haven't, and they come into this finals series fresh.
"You've got to lean on all the experience, so the finals losses just provide a bit of inspiration to get the job done this year."
The Burgers are hoping Ellis, who played 251 games at the top level from 2012-24, will prove a point of difference in finals.
The homegrown talent made his fourth senior appearance of 2026 in the club's 48-point win over Craigieburn in the final round of the home-and-away season.
"To have him around and his knowledge of the game is so important," Cleary said.
"His season this year has just lacked a little bit of continuity with travel and an injury here or there, but it felt like he was back to his best (against Craigieburn) and he was doing some incredibly good work off the half-back line. He was really impressive.
"To have a player who grew up playing for West Coburg, back with his mates, it builds the culture. He's going to be a really important piece for the finals as well."
Cleary heaped praise on his co-captain Emilio Rinaudo and Jalal Abou-Eid, who has earned six mentions in the best from 16 games in his first season at the club.
Taha (57 goals) and Jesse Martini (48) have been prolific up forward, while Cleary, Omar Saad, Muhammad Saad, and Tom Baravi have been ever-consistent performers.
Cleary also credited the efforts of first-year coach Cole Harvey, who is the Burgers fourth mentor in as many seasons.
"He's got a really great football brain and brought a lot of stability for the club as well," he said.
"He has a lot of experience with different clubs and football in general, so he's been able to support us to get the best out of ourselves.
"It can be a little bit of a difficult role coming into a team that already has success ... but he's done a really good job.
"I have a lot of good conversations with Cole and he's been a great person for me to chat to.
"He's had a great presence at the club ... and I think he would be excited and motivated going into finals as well."
West Coburg will meet Oak Park in Saturday's qualifying final at Kings Park Reserve, with the victor to secure a direct passage to the grand final.
