Warrington Wolves stand-off Kevin Brown says losing a third Challenge Cup final was the worst feeling in his life.
The former England international had suffered defeat with both Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants and was on the beaten side once again as Catalans Dragons became the first non-British winners in the competition's 121-year history on Saturday.
Brown is still targeting a first cup winners' medal in his 15-year career and the 33-year-old admits Wolves, who also lost in the 2016 final, were second-best in the 20-14 showpiece loss at Wembley.
"This one feels the worst by a long way," Brown said. "It's probably the worst I've ever felt in my life."
"Full credit to Catalan, they turned up, but I just think we were our own worst enemies.
"We gave them everything. It was probably one of the worst first-half performances we've put together all year and saved it for the biggest game of the year.
"We didn't deserve to win."
Wolves provided a nervous finish, despite having trailed 20-6 early in the second half, through a try from Wolves' substitute George King and a penalty from Tyrone Roberts but Dragons held on for a historic win.
King confirmed he will leave Wolves at the end of the season and join Wakefield, although neither club has made any official statement.
"It is going to be really emotional leaving the club," King said. "It's been terrific over these years and I can only thank them for making me the player I am today.
"I can't wait to go to Wakefield and hopefully get back here at Wembley."
The Catalans held on amid a dramatic conclusion to the encounter but King admitted they had left too much to do after a slow start against Steve McNamara's side.
"We showed plenty to get back in the fight, but I thought Catalans were terrific," he said.
"They took their chances a bit better than we did. The first 20 minutes took a lot of energy out of us.
"We tried our damnedest in the last 15 or 20 minutes but it wasn't good enough.
"It was a nice feeling to get a try but I'd have rather had the win any day of the week.
"We left ourselves with too much to do. When you play in big games like this, you have to take your chances."