PERTH - Season 2012 will be remembered as one of the darkest chapters in the short history of the Western Force.
A 3-13 win-loss record and 14th place on the ladder makes for horrible reading.
The mid-season departure of coach Richard Graham to the Queensland Reds was a bitter pill to swallow.
The retirement of stalwart Nathan Sharpe — although expected — left a gaping hole.
And skipper David Pocock's defection to the Brumbies — after Will Genia's decision not to join the Perth-based franchise — left the Force in a state of shock. With no coach, no captain, and a playing list bereft of match-winners, the future looked glum.
Yet from the ashes of the Force's 2012 disaster, a sense of optimism and hope has emerged for the new season in 2013.
In the words of new coach Michael Foley, it's time to "relaunch" the Force.