Relief and joy were among the emotions which ran through East Point co-captain Brad Whittaker as the final siren sounded in the Ballarat Football League grand final at Mars Stadium on Saturday.
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He said it had been something special to secure a first premiership last year, but a second - that was something else after being hunted all year.
"To be able to do what we've done today, its a sense of pure joy."
Whittaker stepped up to share the captaincy with Matt Johnston this season.
"It's a real pleasure to captain the club, it's an honour.
"To get the chance to captain in a grand final was awesome and to be a premiership co-captain was something special," he said.
Whittaker said the Roos had used the word "grind" as a theme for the year and it could not have been more appropriate, being a perfect description for the grand final victory against Sebastopol.
He said at no stage did East Point feel comfortable despite making a lot of the running.
"It was game on all day. Yes, we were in front for the majority of it, but at no stage did it feel like it was game over."
"We just backed ourselves that we could grind four quarters and things would turn our way." Whittaker said.
It was not the only time throughout the season the Roos had to grind their way through a challenge.
"We had our ups and downs.
"At the end of the day, there's an element of relief," Whittaker said.
East Point lost back-to-back games to Redan and North Ballarat City in rounds five and six to have questions being asked about its premiership defence.
And it was a similar scenario after losses to Sunbury, Melton and Darley in the run to the finals.
A year earlier East Point had come off a much lower base, having missed finals the previous season, so expectations were not the same.
For Whittaker, the premiership continues a remarkable run of success on the sporting field.
After playing in last year's premiership with East Point, the 27-year-old followed up by being part of a Ballarat Cricket Association A grade grand final victory with East Ballarat.
While it was not a day for key forwards on Saturday, Whittaker had a fine season with a career-best 37 majors.