Though they couldn't be there in person, Ballarat's biggest Melbourne Storm fans were still able to show their support as their boys won their fourth premiership.
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The Britten family, in Alfredton, put out the purple balloons and streamers to cheer the team on from home, the first time they weren't able to make it to a grand final.
"The Panthers hadn't lost a game, they were 17 in a row, but I was quietly confident," Kerri Britten said.
"After we won it, we were all crying, we were so ecstatic."
Inside the house, a mini-shrine had been set-up, with jumpers, balloons, and vintage WEG posters - Ms Britten said there was even a "good luck charm" flag, from the 2007 grand final.
"I had one friend come around, she and her partner came around last year and watched it, they fell in love with the game," she said.
"So she came around again this year because she couldn't miss out on watching it with us - she said it'll happen every year if we get into the grand final, touch wood."
Her husband David said they had followed the team from the very beginning.
"We've lost interest in the AFL, and fell in love with the Storm - you go to the games and it's a totally different atmosphere to the AFL, we've been premium members ever since," he said.
"Before (our daughter) Summer came along, we used to travel to all the games and grand finals, but due to COVID we couldn't get there this year.
"We never even got to go to a game this year, it really hurts."
The game was a dramatic one, with the Panthers surging in the second half after the Storm hit an early lead.
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"It takes me the first 10 minutes to know whether the guys are playing in tune or not, but we had a great start so that put that at ease," Mr Britten said.
"After the first half, I thought yep, we've got this, but they came back a bit in the second which made us nervous.
"I woke up with a sore throat this morning - we are passionate about our game, and we've been lucky enough in the last 10 years to see all the success we've had."
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