The blank stares.

Expressionless faces.

The sinking feeling of despair in the pit of your stomach.

Dejection.

These – amongst many others – are just a selection of the litany of emotions that ran through the hearts of minds of the ‘Collingwood Army’ last Saturday afternoon.

A season filled with so much promise, that delivered so much, ultimately failed to deliver the one thing that it craved; premiership glory.

Collingwood came up just short in their defeat (the end margin of 38 points is hardly indicative of how tightly contested the overall match was) at the hands of a rampant Geelong side. If anything, Geelong’s triumph says more about its club rather than defeat does for Collingwood.

The Cats have been the standout team for the past six years, though many thought that their time at the AFL summit was over. Collingwood, the younger contenders to the Cats’ throne, were thought to be the side next in line to rule the AFL landscape with an iron fist, forging a black-and-white dynasty.

In reality, they still are the best-placed side to rule the roost for the next few years, but in 2011, Geelong was unwilling to abdicate the crown.

A side that was infamously described as being ‘too old and too slow’ held back father time with amazing ferocity, but a simple look at statistics would show that they’re closer to the proverbial end than the start.

Collingwood, on the other hand, are in theory just entering their prime. The Magpies have an average age of 25, yet a nucleus of players – Travis Cloke, Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury, Ben Reid, Nathan Brown (the forgotten man) and Chris Dawes – are all younger.

Yet, no average age or allure of future glory can supplant the feeling, that 2011 was an opportunity lost for the ‘black and white’.

Injuries to key positions were the bookends of season 2011, with Nathan Brown being shelved before a ball was bounced, and Ben Reid and Darren Jolly serving as the walking wounded in the premiership decider. The space inbetween saw suspensions or ailments afflict a host of other stars, with Heath Shaw, Thomas, Dawes, Dane Swan and Leon Davis all enduring stints on the sideline.

While the now-failed ‘succession plan’ will be the subject of much debate – Mark Robinson has already questioned whether it was to blame – ultimately, whether it affected the team or not is something that we will never know.

But one thing that is known is that Collingwood will continue to move forward. The pain of Saturday’s defeat will linger with this group, and should only fuel its desire for 2012 and beyond.

Nathan Buckley will take his spot on arguably the hottest-seat in the AFL coaching world next year, filling the now-fabled boots of Mick Malthouse, and make no mistake, there will be people hoping for his immediate demise so that they can sit back and proclaim, ‘I told you so.’

Yet, as many outside the club may call for upheaval, Collingwood should stay the course.

The Pies will embark on their annual Arizona sojourn, farewell some players while welcoming new ones, and on current form they should be a favourite to play off for a premiership again next year.

The making of a Collingwood empire is definitely there, but 2011 is most definitely an opportunity lost.

Liam Quinn is a first-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University.  You can read more of his work on his blog, and follow him on Twitter: @liamquinn23

This piece originally appeared here at backpagelead.com.au.