It was around the moment that striker Roy O'Donovan's studs connected with cheekbone that Jets fans knew for sure that the dream was over.
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The cheekbone belonged to Melbourne goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas, who had bravely challenged the rampaging O’Donovan in injury time.
The Irishman was desperately in search of an equaliser. He didn’t get it. He did, however, get a red card and, quite possibly, a hefty spell on the sidelines next season.
As for Thomas, he got hero status and the Joe Martson medal – the grand final’s gong for man of the match.
It wasn’t just his willingness to put his cheek in the way of O’Donovan’s karate kick. It was his miraculous save from Jason Hoffman in the first half, which stopped the Jets from equalising and, ultimately, won Melbourne the match.
This crucial passage of play began when Jets midfielder Ronny Vargas and Riley McGree showed flashes of brilliance, as Newcastle pushed forward.
Gloveman Thomas saved well from the jinking McGree, before somehow backing up and stopping Hoffman’s blasted shot from close range.
Jets fans could not believe it. Their dismay seemed a world away from the uplifting lights and music of the pre-match show, which even featured Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.
It was a tune that must have had Jets fans dreaming of glory. As it happened, the game was only 10 minutes old when the dream first began to fade.
Victory winger Leroy George looped a long free kick into the box, which found the head of James Donachie.
The ball fell to the Victory’s Kosta Barbarouses, who shot towards goal. It wasn't the sweetest of efforts, but the ball found the right boot of Jets defender John Koutroumbis and spun agonisingly into the net.
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For Jets fans, it was a bitter pill to swallow. The goal was offside, blatantly so.
But the video assistant referee, widely known by the notorious acronym VAR, let the goal stand. It was a baffling decision.
"Was VAR asleep?" Fox Sports Football pundit Ned Zelic tweeted.
Commentator Andy “Harps” Harper had this to say: "What is the point of the VAR?".
As the first half kicked on, Jets fans were given hope by the deft skills and quality of the Dimitri Petratos/Ronny Vargas/Riley McGree trinity.
But the Victory sat deep, dug deep and made it difficult for the home side in their search for an equaliser.
The task became even harder in the second half as the Jets lost their rhythm and lost their way.
A courageous goal-line clearance from O'Donovan kept the Jets in the game. It also left O'Donovan with a nasty lump on his cheek from the stray elbow of Victory striker Besart Berisha.
Berisha got away without sanction, but O'Donovan's blood was clearly boiling.
Soon after, the Irishman had a chance to equalise, but his aerial challenge drew blood from goalkeeper Thomas.
As full time drew closer, O'Donovan challenged Thomas again.
This time he went too far. Way too far. One neutral fan said it was among the worst tackles he’d ever seen.
But in fairness to the Irishman, he’d done well to stay on the park at all. His own cheek was a mess. He must have been in pain.
Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill wasn’t so forgiving.
“There's no excuse for that,” he said, of O’Donovan’s face-kick.
O’Donovan was left to make the lonely walk towards the sheds, copping a few choice words from Victory coach Kevin Muscat on his way past.
And moments later, it was all over. Newcastle’s dream of glory on home soil was in tatters.
Most Jets fans didn't stay for the presentation. The sight of seeing Melbourne lift the famous toilet-seat trophy in Newcastle territory was too much to bear.
