Four of the Bulldogs' eight losses were by eight points or less.

READ MORE SPORT:

They trailed Waubra by just one point at three-quarter time in round nine and led Bungaree and Springbank at the final change in rounds 11 and 12, all games Daylesford went on to lose.

In round 10 it led Skipton at half-time and trailed by two goals at three-quarter time but went on to lose by eight points.

Bulldogs supporters are probably wondering why they are being made to live through these tough losses again.

It's because they highlight the side's ability to compete with the league's best teams.

Three of the four games mentioned were against eventual finalists and Bungaree who finished ninth, and they were all matches Daylesford feel it should have won.

For coach Hamish Jarrad there was a feeling of disappointment but positivity also on the year.

"Definitely a sense of disappointment. It was really good to see the playing group hurt more and more after every close loss," he said.

"I think the playing group is at a point now where they believe they can win those games and 2022 will be about creating a winning culture and ensuring we win those games."

It means the 2022 season has a positive outlook for the Bulldogs.

Daylesford's ability to compete strongly was especially impressive considering the brutal way its season began.

Co-captain Josh Cowan, a junior of the club that had returned for the 2021 season from St Mary's in Geelong, broke his leg in the opening term against traditional rivals Hepburn in round one.

An ambulance took 90 minutes to get to the ground and attend to Cowan, forcing the game to be abandoned and declared a draw.

Jarrad said he was impressed with how the side bounced back after the incident.

"Definitely really happy with our competitiveness," he said.

"We always knew depth was going to be a concern, to lose our two best players in Josh Cowan and Michael Cummings for the season (early) and several other key injuries early in the year I was really worried.

"With such a new group together it would've been easy for the boys to drop off and go through the motions but they fronted up every week and consistently put ourselves in positions to win games."

Christopher Peart and Scott Hughes were especially impressive on a regular basis all season long.

Peart finished high in The Courier's Central Highlands player of the year award, polling consistently all season.

Hughes finished third in the league's goalkicking award with 35 majors, three behind Gordon's Ashley Munari in second.

He averaged just under three goals a game.

The midfield is an area of focus for Daylesford in the off-season.

"We'll look to add some pace through the middle of the ground and strengthen our midfield," Jarrad said.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.

Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.