While the homesick NZ Warriors celebrated a stunning comeback NRL win on Saturday night, the agony of defeat was visible on the faces of their opponents.
Brisbane Broncos have lost six straight games since the post-COVID-19 resumption of the competition. Coach Anthony Seibold's job is in serious jeopardy, while his players have been called out for not caring enough about the jersey.
Holding a 10-0 lead over a side that had conceded 16 tries in two weeks, the Broncos' losing streak looked set to end, but the gutsy Warriors - without suspended captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - rode home on the shoulders of Blake Green to earn a stellar win.
That was too much to take for some of the Broncos squad, including veteran Kiwi Alex Glenn, playmaker Anthony Milford and new halves partner Brodie Croft.
In particular, captain Glenn cast a forlorn figure, as he was consoled by former Brisbane and Kiwis teammate Adam Blair for several minutes after the final whistle.
Milford was also visibly upset, while Croft was inconsolable and had to be comforted by a Brisbane assistant coach.
Warriors half Kodi Nikorima, who transferred from the Broncos last season, also moved among his former teammates, comforting them in defeat.
Among the Brisbane players was recent arrival Issac Luke, who left the Warriors at the end of last season.
Blair has been hailed for his sportsmanship post-match, with the NRL highlighting his act of mateship.
A social media post captioned "Brothers" with a picture of Blair and Glenn with their arms over each other.
Auckland-born Glenn did not hide from his emotions.
“It hurts," he said. "I just got overwhelmed out there.
"Sometimes we cry, we get upset and it’s been a tough couple of weeks. It hurts, because I know the effort we are putting into training every week, but there are little areas of our game where we are lacking discipline.
"I just care for this club, I care for this team so much and the emotion has come out unfortunately. I ain’t shying away from it - sometimes you shed tears.
“It’s hard to face. Footy is a tough sport and it’s one of those games you have to be consistent for 80 minutes.
"Those little areas where we are lacking is hurting us… it’s hard, it’s frustrating."
The Warriors tackle Gold Coast Titans on Friday, while the Broncos play the only side below them on the table - Canterbury Bulldogs.
