When the questions from reporters had dried up at the end of Kurt Gidley's final post-match NRL press conference following Newcastle's 30-12 loss to Penrith, it gave the departing Knights skipper one last chance to express his gratitude for the club that has given him so much.
Not only that, Gidley credited interim coach Danny Buderus for stepping in at the club for the final six weeks of the season when many others wouldn't have had the guts.
"I have to say thanks to Bedsy for his role over the past six weeks. He was thrown into tough circumstances with [former coach Rick] Stoney, who's a good friend, being sacked," Gidley said.
"He's done a great job over the last six weeks trying to get us up for every game and I can't thank Danny enough.
"For me personally, everything the club has given me and the supporters, the staff and the friendships I've made over the years I'll be forever grateful for so I'd like to thank them very much for that."
The sadness of Gidley's Knights departure will soon be replaced by the hope of the new beginning he is about to embark on at Warrington in the English Super League.
That even though Newcastle secured their second wooden spoon in the club's history with their 18-point loss to Penrith, which is sure to burn for a long time to come, Gidley was nonetheless excited to head to the Wolves to see out his career.
"I've always been about looking forward and looking to the future. My future is to have a rest at the moment and then look towards the next chapter that me and my family are really looking forward to," Gidley said.
"It's something I've never really had to do during my career –to change or to move out of Newcastle – so it's stepping into the unknown I suppose but I'm looking forward to that.
"[Coming last] wasn't the way I was hoping it would finish but I'm really proud of what I achieved in my career."
Returning the favour, Buderus – having now coached Gidley as well as played with him for a decade – offered his mate the ultimate compliment.
"If your kids grew up to be like Kurt you'd be very happy. He has given everything to this club. He's not only came up with some great performances but he's had so much commitment to bringing young guys through," Buderus said.
"He's had such an effect on the culture. He's seen a lot as well – the good times and the bad – so there are a lot of memories I'm sure. That's why we play this game, to see guys like Kurt come through and take leadership roles.
"I was privileged to have played with Kurt and I know how much fun he is going to have in the UK. He deserves that, he deserves to be in an organisation where he can relax a little bit too and not at the forefront all the time."
Much like Gidley, it's now Buderus's turn to move forward.
With Nathan Brown all but locked in to coach the Knights in 2016, the 37-year-old will soon discover where his future lies at the club.
"I've just texted [Nathan Brown] so far. It's not official yet. It's one of those things where I'm here if the club needs any support or needs to know anything. We'll see how that pans out next week and I'm sure it all happen in the next few days," Buderus revealed.
"I'm all for the club, no matter what. It's why I took this role for six weeks – to help out and more importantly help Kurt out and the guys leaving. I want to stick around that's for sure and help the club get out of this scenario it's in.
"There's only one way up and that's probably a good thing. I'm not saying it's where we deserve to be but we have a long road ahead. I'm sure in the near future, you can't put a year or a countdown clock on when we'll get back there, but in time it'll turn around."
