They won back the fans this season with some stunning rugby and have tucked away the Ranfurly Shield for the summer.
But they fell at the last hurdle.
The 36-28 loss in Christchurch on Saturday was still sinking in when Brown was approached for comment.
"We are not finished," he told the Otago Daily Times.
"This is not a fairytale. This is not just one season. This is just the start."
It is the finish for a couple of players, though.
Fullback Sam Gilbert is off to Ireland and centre Thomas Umaga-Jensen has signed with a Japanese team.
Gilbert was impressive all year and Umaga-Jensen was arguably Otago’s best player in the final.
Whether Fijian lock Joseva Tamani returns is unclear.
Otago will need to do some rebuilding.
But powerhouse No 8 Christian Lio-Willie is committed to returning for another season.
Finn Hurley and Jake Te Hiwi, who were both injured for the majority of the season, will plug the gaps at fullback and in the midfield.
Otago have some good depth in the front row.
They should be well-positioned to build on the momentum they have generated.
But they were a little blown away in the final.
They struggled into the norwester at Apollo Projects Stadium.
The lineout got bent out of shape. The kicking game was astray. And Canterbury were just so clinical when they got into the 22m.
Otago played the opening 20 minutes with pace and looked sharp.
But Canterbury slowed the tempo and took control.
Brown said it was a game his side would look back on with some regrets.
"We probably could have been a little bit better in a couple of areas," he said.
"But they’re a good team and it’s finals footy, so they took advantage of a couple of our lapses.
"I think we probably could have been a little bit better with our kicking game in the second half.
"It was a difficult wind to kick into as well as to kick with. I think, on reflection, maybe we could have pulled the trigger on a couple of different kicking options.
"The boys gave everything the way they came back. They had a real dig and I’m very proud of that."
The ball did not have to get too far into the air before the norwester caught it.
Otago had been money in the lineout all season but malfunctioned in the second half.
"It was definitely the wind and that limited our options, so they were able to load up a wee bit. They did a good job there."
Canterbury posted three unanswered tries in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.
Otago rallied. Replacement prop Ben Lopas crashed over.
But Canterbury effectively sealed the win through a try to Gus Brown in the 69th minute.
That was when everyone in the blue and gold face paint, boiler suits and silly wigs realised Otago’s 27-year title drought would be extended into another season.
Otago fans had shown up in good numbers. Perhaps they made up 25% of the 17,000 or so spectators.
They were in tremendous voice as well.
Jona Nareki got over with a few minutes remaining to spark some late interest.
"That’s what this team is all about so I’m very proud of that."
