Tasmanian sprinters Jacob Despard and Jack Hale were staying positive despite the freak accident which saw the Australian team fail to finish their heat of the 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games.
In front of a packed crowd at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, the Hobart-born duo ran excellent second and third legs respectively after Josh Azzopardi, of NSW, had got the team off to a flying start.
But disaster struck on the final exchange. As Hale prepared to hand over to Rohan Browning on the finishing straight, the New South Welshman slipped and fell as he set off, leaving the team with an official result of Did Not Finish.
"It's pretty hard to process. We've trained for years for today," Despard said.
"Statistically, something like this has got to happen to one of the teams and unfortunately it was us. Bit of a freak thing but that happens and we've got to keep our heads high and move on. We're going to be heart-broken and disappointed through the coming weeks and months but we've got to put this behind us and move on to what's round the corner.
"I'm pretty gutted to be honest. I feel like the first three legs were almost perfection for us really. It's going to take a few days to completely process what's just happened because we really had high hopes of making the final and I thought we were a good chance for a medal. I know Rohan's probably going to have many sleepless nights after he watches that replay. It's just hard for us.
"I was really happy with my leg. Josh into me was nice and quick and I felt unreal out there. The stadium's alive - it's the biggest crowd I've ever run in front of so, despite the team not finishing, I was very impressed with my leg."
With the Tasmanians among the athletes to have travelled furthest to reach Birmingham, Hale was equally devastated.
"That's the sport - it is what it is. You've got to travel to get to these things and freak things happen. It's done now," he said. Asked to sum up his emotions, he replied: "Confused, and think I will be for a while, but it's done now."
Browning was quick to apologise to his teammates.
"I just tripped over. It's never happened before," he said. "These boys have put in so much work for this relay and I take sole responsibility for that, it was just one of those freak things and I'm gutted about it. The relay is just a chaotic environment."
Both Tasmanians are former students at St Virgil’s and Guilford Young College and former Melbourne housemates who were proud to make up half a national team.
A veteran of world junior and youth championships and 2019 Oceania gold medallist, Hale, 24, was competing at his second Commonwealth Games having run the same third leg in the relay team which finished fourth on the Gold Coast.
"To have half the team from Tassie is awesome," he said. "Going forward you couldn't think of much better for the little island state of Tasmania so we're pumped to get on there together. It's been brilliant."
A former school cross-country runner, Glenorchy Knights soccer player and state junior cricketer with North Hobart, Despard, 25, was the 2018 Stawell Gift winner and qualified for his first Commonwealth Games by winning this year’s Melbourne Track Classic 100m and taking Oceania Championship bronze in a personal best time of 10.24.
"Twelve years ago I don't think there was anyone in Tassie running sub-11 and now we've got a bunch of guys under that and two in the national relay team so it's awesome," he added.
Queensland's Jake Doran and Victorian Chris Mitrevski were also in the relay squad but sat out the heat.
Tasmanian pair Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz both praised the Kookaburras' spirit after the six-time champions fought back from 2-0 down against the host nation to maintain their incredible Commonwealth Games record.
In front of a partisan crowd at a packed University of Birmingham Hockey Centre, England looked like inflicting Australia's first Commonwealth Games loss since 1998 before a stunning fightback.
Phillip Roper fired England ahead in the 12th minute and when captain Zachary Wallace doubled the lead from a penalty stroke - awarded when the ball struck Beltz on the goalline - Australia had conceded as many goals in 19 minutes as they had in four group games.
But Colin Batch's men hit back with some timely goals.
Three minutes before half-time Blake Govers pulled one back from a penalty corner and with two minutes remaining in the third quarter Jacob Anderson equalised. Daniel Beale gave Australia the lead for the first time early in the final term and the reigning champions had to survive a succession of penalty corners, a lost referral and England replacing their goalkeeper to keep alive hopes of a seventh straight title.
The side's Hobart duo said it was a huge lesson.
"We made it difficult for ourselves - 2-0 down is never where you want to be - but we managed to turn it around which was good," said Beltz, 28, who was instrumental in Anderson's equaliser.
"I was disappointed that we let it get to 2-0 but we had a belief within the group that we could probably turn it around. There were lots of things that we weren't doing too well and we had to clean those up.
"Some of our basics weren't good enough - the stuff that we pride ourselves on - our run, our chase, earning corners, all that stuff just wasn't where we needed to be so we knew we had another level and just had to make sure that we found it.
"But it was really good to get in the trenches with the boys and work hard to get out of it and I'm proud that we did."
Competing at his first Commonwealth Games, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist relished the opportunity of playing in front of a passionate home crowd.
"Playing in front of a crowd like that is a mindset thing and you've got to channel it and use it to your advantage. If you let it over-awe you or go back into your shell, that's exactly what they want so you've got to try and harness it and relish the challenge.
"We always think we're a chance and 2-0 down wasn't ideal but we knew we had to clean some things up and if we did that we were in with a shot."
Australia's most-capped international, 35-year-old Ockenden said it was the closest he had come to losing a match in his fourth Commonwealth Games tournament.
"That was really hard work," said the four-time Olympian and multiple World Cup, World League and Champions Trophy winner.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game and difficult with the crowd but we made it harder for ourselves and when we can come out with a win like that from such a tough battle, it's really pleasing."
"Being down, not playing our best and having to claw our way back into it slowly. I knew we'd get our chances, we just had to stop them getting into our circle because they've got good, skilful, fast attackers."
"At 2-0 we just had to reset because we knew we couldn't concede again and steel yourself a bit, refocus on some of the things that you set out to do before the game, make a few adjustments across the group and we'd get our chances because hockey's a really high-scoring sport.
"It's pleasing to be able to do that. I didn't doubt we could, but sometimes you just run out of time. We just had to edge our way there through a bit of attrition.
"So I feel a bit of relief combined with frustration that we couldn't get it going early, but we're super happy to move on. Plus excitement for the final."
No stranger to partisan crowds in hockey hotbeds like India and the Netherlands, Ockenden said he enjoyed the home support.
"Playing in front of a crowd like that is really good, but I guess I can say that now! It makes it harder with our communication but you can't complain about that because it's so good having crowds like that for hockey. And they're always like that at Commonwealth Games - Gold Coast was awesome. It's really good to see and more fun, even if they're against you.
"The crowd in England are pretty boistrous and jovial which is hard to play against but it's pretty cool. Even though it's only one side of the ground, it's pretty loud and hard to communicate out there.
"That was good fun, a good challenge, a good experience and good to overcome.
"You always remember the times when things don't go your way and you have to fight your way out, maybe need a bit of luck, and it's really nice for the team to be able to do that."
India beat South Africa 3-2 in the other semi-final to set up a repeat of the 2010 and 2014 finals which Australia won 8-0 and 4-0 respectively.