Champion teams are not built in a day.
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It takes time to create a vision, instil it into the playing group and deliver it on the most important day of the year.
Nirranda coach Brayden Harkness and skipper James Willsher have not only led by their words, they've led by their actions both on and off field this season.
Much like many of his teammates, Willsher - who capped off a consistent season with two crunch goals for his side on Saturday - says the 2022 premiership has been years in the making.
He's grown up with many of his premiership teammates at the club, tasting the highs of 2016 and 2018 and the lows of 2019 in which he also captained the club, as well as the bitter disappointment of COVID-19.
Last year was a real disappointment not being able to play finals, so to be here now, it's been a long-time coming.
- Nirranda captain James Willsher
"(In) 2019 we managed to go down and I was skipper that day, and it did hurt. I've been keen to get back to it (a grand final)," he told The Standard.
"Last year was a real disappointment not being able to play finals, so to be here now, it's been a long-time coming.
"It means the world."
The skipper said the closeness of the group was one of things he was most proud of.
"A lot of our core, we've sort of almost grown up together at the footy club - a lot of us came at 18, 19 and now we're in our mid-20s and we're really sort of thriving," he said.
"I reckon it means a lot to all of us."
Harkness, who capped off the season with the AFL Victoria Country medal for his poised display on half-back, said the premiership was a culmination of hard work and setting a clear direction of where the group wanted to head.
"We've held onto our core and topped up where we needed to, and we've stuck together and been rewarded with a couple of special days like these in September," he said.
"The upward trajectory the club has been on in the last few years has been incredible, its reward for effort. There's a few that will get a bit of credit but there's so much work done behind the scenes and I couldn't have been prouder of everyone at the club."
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Nick Creely
Sports reporter with The Standard
Sports reporter with The Standard
