THE BLEAK, overcast skies over Melbourne on Sunday matched the mood of St Kilda supporters everywhere following their team's heart-breaking grand final loss, but a determined group of followers braved the elements to show their support at the club's family day.

About 2,500 fans filed into Etihad Stadium to commiserate with each other and cheer on Ross Lyon and his team who took the stage about an hour into proceedings to rapturous applause.

"We can't thank you enough for the turnout today," Lyon said.

"We're all bitterly disappointed and it doesn't get any easier in the cold light of Sunday morning, but you're the reason we have to go on and we have to get better in the future.

"It's really about the players and the supporters. We're here [as coaches] to help guide and we are committed to going on next year, but we just want to settle now and I think you can all appreciate the effort [of our players].

"We couldn't have asked for any more effort yesterday."

Veteran defender and fan favourite Max Hudghton stood on the outskirts of the group with his two boys until he stepped forward to announce his retirement toward the end of proceedings drawing howls of protest from the crowd.

Skipper Nick Riewoldt arguably felt the pain of the loss more than anyone in the immediate aftermath of the game, but he cut a determined figure as he addressed the Saints' faithful.

"It was obviously devastating, and still is, but I think the one consolation to come out of the game as a playing group is that we can look each other in the eye and know that we gave everything that we possibly could yesterday," he said.

"I woke up this morning and thought about what we could have done differently and, to be perfectly honest, there's not much we could have done differently. I thought all the players gave it their all, they had a real crack and that's all you can ask for as supporters.

"You should be really proud of the playing group, but deep down we've got to learn from this, we've got to savour what this feels like, bottle it and make sure that we learn from the experience."

Brendon Goddard, who looked a little worse for wear with his right arm in a sling and a plaster over his broken nose, also addressed the crowd as did Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna.

All spoke of their determination to go one better in 2010, but it was Montagna who perhaps gave the best summation of the Saints' season and its tumultuous finale.

"We've gradually improved and we're slowly getting to the standard that we want to get to," he said.

"We've still got a little bit further to go, but we've got some good young fellas who are really going to step up next year and we'll go a little bit further again next year.

"At the moment, for the playing group, it's hard to think about all that effort we're going to have to put in again next year, but we will. We'll butter up again, we'll keep improving, we'll get fitter, stronger and better and we'll come back next year and have another crack."

Following the presentation the entire playing group signed autographs for fans lined up along the barricades on the dock side wing of the stadium, slowly moving toward the players' race they had disappeared into in triumph on so many occasions during the season.

The applause might not have been as loud and the crowd not nearly as large this time around, but those who were there cheered their hearts out as the Saints of 2009 bowed out with the promise of better things to come.