Ben Mitchell says 2021 will "haunt" him.
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What shaped as one of the Kangaroos' greatest-ever seasons - when their unexpected rebound was the competition's most compelling narrative - has collapsed around their co-coach and left him feeling "hurt" and "disappointed".
Such is the times we live in.
On Wednesday, AFL North West announced the abandonment of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing statewide lockdown.
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With the competition suspended on the morning of the first day of the finals and now the death knell, Mitchell, Kangaroos co-coach Nathan Vaisey, their teammates and the greater Roos community will have to be satisfied with the side's first minor premiership since 2011.
But their first premiership since 2011, after two years of struggle, was the refulgent prize which had shimmered on a horizon that was eclipsed by an lethal enemy invisible to the naked eye.
After forming a highly successful first-year partnership with Vaisey, Mitchell believes that the co-coaches will return to the roles next year in order to take care of unfinished business.
He said: "When we took on the job, we had a couple of years in mind ... I have long-term aspirations for this club.
"We've done the first step. But that chase for a premiership is gonna haunt me for this year.
"But I'll keep chasing it, doing what I have to do to put the club in the right spot."
Mitchell is understandably proud of what the Kangaroos achieved in 2021.
It's gonna haunt me for this year. But I'll keep chasing it [the flag], doing what I have to do to put the club in the right spot.
- Ben Mitchell
"The boys worked really hard throughout the year to earn that top spot," he said, adding that the side exceeded "a lot" of their expectations this year.
"We've improved as a side and as a club ... that's all we aimed for at the start of the year. No one expected to finish top."
Playing football in the current environment was "not really viable, Mitchell said.
"So I think we fully understand the situation that we're in."
AFL North West said time had run out to stage a finals series.
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