Shane Flanagan probably summed it up best on Saturday afternoon when he cut his press conference short.
“I don't want to be rude but I've had enough. Thank you,” the St George Illawarra Dragons head coach said in ending his time with the media after a wild game on Saturday afternoon.
As much as ridiculousness of a 44-40 scoreline will give the image the Dragons weren't all that bad, it was a game they were barely on the park for during the first 70 or so minutes.
And they must be built different next year.
A staggering five tries in the final 11 minutes saw the Dragons get within a play of overthrowing a 32-point lead the Eels had built up, but they ultimately fell short in front of a big crowd at CommBank Stadium that quickly weakened during the second half as fed up Red V fans headed for the exits.
And fair enough too.
A month ago, this Dragons side knocked over the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne. It was the first time the Dragons had won in the Victorian capital for 25 years.
It was also the game which sould have made their run home - featuring games against the Canterbury Bulldogs, Gold Coast Titans, Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders - one where they should have had finals qualification in their own hands all the way to the end, even if they weren't perfect every week.
And that was never going to happen given their inconsistency this season, or the fact the Red V are realistically light years ahead of where most would have had them at this early stage of the rebuild under Shane Flanagan, who wasn't shy in admitting the amount of work ahead of the club in the pre-season, having taken over from the sacked Anthony Griffin.
But coming off the momentum of a win in Melbourne, there should have been enough there for the Dragons to remain in control of their own destiny all the way to the end.
Instead, they are now relying on other results, and could be (realistically, not mathematically if you want to get technical) out of the mix for finals as soon as Sunday afternoon if the Newcastle Knights manage to go over the top of the Gold Coast Titans in their own Round 26 clash.
But whether they plays finals or not this year is almost irrelevant. It has become abundantly clear the joint-venture would be nothing more than cannon fodder if they do get there and play as they have been.
The realistic advantage of playing finals football this year for the Dragons would be the untold benefit on the youngsters at the club, but really, that again looks ahead to 2025, where Flanagan will have to answer some enormous questions.
While ha has all but confirmed he won't be making any changes for Round 27 this year, he admitted in the post-match press conference exactly how frustrated he was by Saturday's game.
“It was a disgraceful first half. I apologise to the Dragons fans, sponsors, it just wasn't good enough,” Flanagan said.
“I have to take ownership of that and it's just not good enough for a Red V jersey. That first 40 minutes was unacceptable.
“We were terrible. Absolutely terrible. Looked like it was our first day together.”
The first of those questions for the Dragons coach as he continues his rebuild is going to be about the players who should have played their last game in Red V on Saturday.
Mikaele Ravalawa is the obvious candidate.
His first grade recall only came about thanks to Christian Tuipulotu's absence, and it was clear from the outset he has only gone backwards during his time in reserve grade.
Awful ball handling was mixed with trademark dreadful defensive decisions. Whether that's harsh or not, no amount of excellent ball running is going to save Ravalawa from the axe, or a likely move to the Super League in England over the off-season.
He simply hasn't progressed at anywhere near the rate one might have expected, and has actively been one of only a few players who has gotten worse under Flanagan.
Blake Lawrie, probably unfortunately, is the other one.
At one point in the New South Wales Blues discussion, he has barely hung onto his first-grade spot this year. The 27-year-old has, statistically speaking, had his worst season since 2019.
Whether one season is enough to have someone leave the club is up for debate, but it's clear he hasn't fit into Flanagan's plans or motto led by a fitness and defence first mindset.
Reports in the last week have suggested Lawrie is free to go if he can find another club, but if he doesn't, it's hard to see him holding off a number of youngsters as well as the potential signing of Reagan Campbell-Gillard to stay in the first grade set up next year.
The other question relates to the future of Ben Hunt.
There is no doubt he will remain at the club in 2025, but talks of a contract extension into 2026 should really be on hold.
He hasn't had the cattle around him for most of his time at the Dragons, but the star halfback has played just a single finals series during his time in Red V while he also backed Anthony Griffin in a period where it clearly wasn't working for the club.
That, simply put, isn't enough to justify the wage he is on which is large.
It would remain that way into 2026 as well. There isn't a whole lot on the open market which may wind up convincing the Dragons to stick by Hunt if he wants to go again, but at any rate, a contract should be on pause until at least the first month and a half of next season is over.
Give Hunt and the Dragons some time to see if it's working. Hunt, at his best, as he was against the Storm, is still an elite NRL player, but games on that level have become rarer and rarer the longer this season has gone on.
He still has plenty to offer the NRL, but can he be the halfback in a premiership-winning side at this stage of his career?
That is the question Flanagan must answer.
Hunt was awful at both ends of the park for the majority of Saturday's game, and unfortunately, it, and his attitude seemingly going up and down, is a trend which has followed him and his club around for most of this year.
I don't claim to have all the answers, but at any rate, it's likely something the Dragons brass will spend plenty of time thinking about over the coming weeks as they prepare for 2025 and beyond.