It's now a distant memory, but there's no doubt the regrets of last season are what's driving the Penrith Panthers to achieve success in 2020.
One of the sides expected to challenge for the premiership in 2019, Penrith's campaign was virtually over before it started.
The pre-season sexting scandal dragged the club through the mud before a ball was kicked, and before he knew it returning coach Ivan Cleary was staring down the barrel of a 2-8 win-loss record to start the season.
However, star winger Josh Mansour, who admitted to his own personal battles last season, said there's a genuine sense of optimism within the club as the kick-off to the new season nears.
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"Last year we didn't achieve what we wanted to achieve," Mansour told Sporting News.
"It was a very distracting season, and there were a lot of challenges that we didn't overcome.
"But 2020 is a fresh start for us, ultimately you want to achieve the biggest goal there is, the premiership.
"Everyone's been really good, everyone's buying into training. It's been a great pre-season to be honest, I can't wait to get started."
Whilst the season had its off-field challenges, the weight of expectation on what is largely a very young Panthers squad proved too much.
It's something Mansour feels contributed to the club's undoing in the early stages of the season.
"I didn't feel we earnt that respect last year to be totally honest," Mansour suggested.
"We have a young squad and we have a lot of talent here but I don't think we stamped our authority and proved we were contenders for the title."
Looking forward not backward has been the theme of the Panthers' pre-season.
The club's excellent off-season business, which brought Api Koroisau, Zane Tetevano and Kurt Capewell to the club, has them well placed to target a finals finish in 2020.
And without the noise that clouded the club's pre-season last year, Mansour believes Penrith are primed to have a strong season.
"It all comes down to our preparation. It's been a massive pre-season," the former Blues and Kangaroos winger said.
"That's what gives you confidence heading into the 2020 season. We've done everything we possibly could up until this point.
"We don't want to get carried away, we've still got a lot of areas to improve on but we'll do that over the next couple of weeks and hopefully be ready for round one against the Roosters."
It was blue steel and backflips from the Panthers at today's @NRLonNine promo shoot 🕺🏽🎥#pantherpride 🐾 pic.twitter.com/8XyIofnYUK
— Penrith Panthers (@PenrithPanthers) January 30, 2020
One of the challenges the club will face this season is managing what is a young and inexperienced spine.
The loss of James Maloney to the Super League leaves behind a big void, one Samoan international Jarome Luai is expected to fill.
Whilst Nathan Cleary has stated his desire to step up in Maloney's absence, Mansour believes the return of Koroisau to the club will prove invaluable.
"He's a really sneaky number nine [Koroisau] and he's definitely skillful, which we'll need in our spine," he said.
"He's definitely more experienced [after spending four seasons at Manly]. He's obviously matured as a person and as a player.
"He's just been very hands-on, and very vocal with the younger guys."
