Always, always, always, always, always a fucking bridesmaid

I've been playing volleyball with the same team at the same location now for five years or so. We never really stop playing either (of course we do stop: games last an hour, after which we stop playing; what I mean is that there's no real 'volleyball season'. You play until you have a grand final, then a couple of weeks later you start playing again. It kind of lines up with school holidays). In the time I've been playing with this team at this location we have won one grand final. I think we've lost about six; all to the same team. Last night, we did it again. Now, I'm not annoyed. Really, I'm not. The opposition are a good team; they're mostly veterans and one of them, I'm told, used to play for Australia. (If I hadn't heard he'd once played for Aus, I'd think he's the most arsey prick I've ever come across. He's frustratingly good. He seems to be able to hit the worst set through two blockers and land it on the 3 m line.) So they're good. I can live with that. What annoys me slightly though, is that the team they field in the grand final is never the team they play with throughout the season. During regular games, one or two of the guys bring out their sons to play on the team with them, which is a good thing. When I was a teenager I was lucky enough to have a PE teacher who was a great player, and while he could have put a team together with all his great-player mates, he didn't. He'd get one or two good player mates and fill the rest of his team with promising, enthusiastic students, who may not be the best players in the world but who need the experience with better players if they're to develop into better players themselves. But come last night's grand final, where are these guys' sons? On the sidelines, watching. They fielded only their best six players, some of whom had only made token appearances during the regular season so they'd qualify to play finals. Our team was top of the ladder throughout the season. We thrashed these guys on at least one occasion but come grand final, they say 'Sorry kids, you're not good enough to play in this game, let daddy get out there and show you how it's done because we can't win with you on the side and winning is what it's all about after all'. Is this a valid annoyance? Is that what being part of a team is all about, or do I just sound bitter because we lost?