BALLARAT'S Richmond fans are getting used to celebrating their teams success, but even they admit there was something a bit different in the weekend's Grand Final win over Geelong.
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It was a Grand Final like no other on Saturday night as two Victorian teams battled it out for the AFL premiership, in Brisbane.
While a fierce thunderstorm during the day did it's best to keep the drama going up to the first bounce, and the AFL's pre-game entertainment can be best described as muted at best, the Tigers produced a second half for the ages to deny Geelong champion Gary Ablett the perfect send off.
Miners Rest's Daniel Knaggs is one Tiger who has gotten used to the winning feeling, but even he was a bit unsure how to take the success this time around.
"It was really quite quiet," Mr Knaggs said.
"We got into a mate that goes for Geelong, we ended up having a bit of banter throughout, but it was a bit strange, we went from being excited in the middle of the day to having to wait and wait.
"And then when the weather came through it was a bit of scare.
"I was a little on the fence going in, it was great to see two really proud Victorian sides going at it, I'm pretty stoked about the result."
Mr Knaggs said there was no doubt that football had been the saviour this year for many people.
"It's pretty much kept us going, it's kept everyone engaged and given us something to look forward to," he said.
GALLERY Cats and Tigers fans return to Ballarat pubs for Grand Final
"We're pretty mad supporters, we've followed them since Chris Naish was playing in the 1990s, we went to his wedding and got to meet Matthew Richardson, so we've been Tigers through and through ever since.
"Brendan Gale said in 2010 we'd have 75,000 members and three premierships by 2020, and this was the final piece of that puzzle and they've achieved it, you couldn't be more prouder."
Will Cousens said he watched the game at his parent's house.
"The game itself was very much the same as the preliminary final last year," he said
"I thought we were on the ropes, even though we've learned you never write your side off, but we needed to kick well early in the third quarter, thankfully we did.
"It was a strange event, I was pretty anxious and was keen to get it away. Even by the time 6pm rolled around, I was like 'hurry up and get on with it'.
"I definitely prefer the afternoon grand finals, very much a traditionalist."
Mr Cousens said he had been fortunate to see Grand Final wins in 2017 and 2019, and he admitted that while he was proud of the team, missing the occasions and being to catch-up with friends, and celebrate in Richmond, meant it wasn't quite the same feeling.
"I'm sensationally proud, growing up was difficult as a Richmond fan, we weren't ever considered in anything in football terms," he said.
"To be acknowledged as one of the better side of a modern era, up with that Geelong team and even Hawthorn is a wonderful feeling."
And the Grand Final with a difference was capped off in Ballarat with police reporting no major incidents across the night.
A number of pubs were able to hold special functions with up to 40 people allowed inside and 70 outside.
"It was a pretty quiet night all round," Ballarat police said on Sunday morning. "The streets were pretty much dead until after the game, everyone was pretty well behaved."
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