North Wagga assistant coach Lachie Steward and forward/ruckman Jimmy Morris ensured a dream finish to their decorated careers, with the Saints' memorable victory sending them into retirement with a fourth senior premiership.
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Both joined Saints before the 2018 season and had declared Saturday would see out their careers and Steward, 31, was rapt to have had a key role at the club.
"It's an unbelievable way to go out," Steward said after a 201-game career at Ganmain- Grong Grong-Matong and North Wagga.
"I can't be more proud. The boys here deserve every bit of it. They worked so hard, that young core group, they deserve it all."
He said it's been an enjoyable partnership since joining good mate Kirk Hamblin's coaching staff.
"To change clubs and come to a new place and already have so much respect, just amongst some young boys - they really look up to you, and it really drives you to keep thinking of how you're going to make them a better player each week," Steward said.
"At the end of it, mate, I'm just getting an armchair ride and they're doing all the work. They're unbelievable young blokes."
Steward shared his three premierships at GGGM with Hamblin, and Luke Walsh (who was part of all seven in the Lions' golden era).
"Walshy goes up another gear when he has to. It's unbelievable watching him play football in finals. He's carrying a knee - it's been no good - and he just pushes himself to new levels every week," Steward said.
Morris, 30, won his previous three senior flags at Collingullie.
Hamblin said when he signed all three that the experience they brought would be invaluable to a young group trying to take the next step in their football.
And so it proved. All four of them now share another connection forged at McPherson Oval.
"Grand finals are always special no matter where you play but this group of blokes, coming over from Ganmain and meeting a new bunch of players, I became really close with them real quickly," Walsh said.
"To miss out last year was pretty disappointing, and we had a few doubters all through the year this year, whether or not we could score enough and things like that. There was a lot of pressure on us to get the job done.
"To do it with this group of blokes who hadn't tasted success, and to do it for Kirky - he's going out and he can call himself a premiership coach now - it means a lot and it's going to be pretty special."
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