Essendon coach Brad Scott insists the Bombers are better placed than 12 months ago despite their season fading out in familiar fashion.
The Bombers sat in the top four just six weeks ago, but Friday night's 39-point defeat to Sydney - their sixth loss in their last eight games - means they will miss finals for a third straight season.
In 2023 - Scott's first season in charge - the Bombers looked poised to finish inside the top eight, only to lose seven of their last 10 matches, including their final two by a combined margin of 196 points.
Scott said he "got the correlation" between this season and last but believed Essendon had made strides this year.
"The foundation of what we're doing is is really solid," he said.
"We were incapable of of competing against the best when it mattered last year, if you want the comparison right now.
"It's a bit of polish, a bit of system, a bit of class, that is the difference between us and the best. It's not the effort in the contest."
Essendon's infamous drought without winning a final will extend into a 21st year, having last tasted success in a post-season match back on September 4, 2004.
Premiership great Matthew Lloyd lamented the Bombers' demise after the loss against the Swans.
"I walked into the club and it was just so powerful and demanding of each other," Lloyd told 3AW.
"We were such a proud club, now it's so far from that. It's lost so much respect."
Still one of the AFL's biggest clubs, despite their lack of success for the last 20 years, Essendon's final home game of the season attracted 33,830 fans - well down on the corresponding match against Sydney last year.
When asked about the turnout, Scott simply said the fans would return if Essendon "focused on playing good footy".
The Bombers crowd watched former captain Dyson Heppell, one of the most popular players in Essendon history, receive a pre-game farewell after earlier in the week announcing his retirement at season's end.
Heppell was overlooked for selection, but could be considered for a final game when the Bombers travel to the Gabba to play the Brisbane Lions next Saturday night.
"Dyson has been very, very clear that his decision to retire, a big part of it was he talked to me about when someone has come through and is ready to take his spot and performed that he would know it was time," he said.
"He is, as strong as I am, we were still in the contention, we pick our best team, and that's what we did.
"That's what everyone would expect us to do."
