With the premiership on the line, emotions are always bound to run high but Saturday's win was extra special to Colin Lockhart.
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With his son picking up the David O'Keefe memorial medal for best on ground and after a tough few years, the weight was released from his shoulders.
"It's been a pretty hard year for me. Last finals series as we fell over, my wife got diagnosed with breast cancer so it's been a pretty big thing so I could bawl any minute," he said.
"I'm rapt, just absolutely rapt for this group - young and just great blokes."
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Picking up his first senior coaching flag at Lilydale having been an 2017 assistant, Lockhart said the side's start was the difference.
"We put a lot of emphasis on starting really well due to the lack of games we've played. We wanted attack on the footy, knowing full well that they like hard footy so we had to go harder for longer."
On the flip side, St Pats' Alex Russell coached his last game, with Jake Laskey to take the reins full-time next season.
"I'm going to take a step back. I've been doing it for three years and it is a bit of a commitment," Russell said.
"We just need a fresh voice and one to keep players motivated and we believe this is the best thing for it."
Russell credited Jacob Knight's repeat efforts before looking onto next season.
"He just didn't stop trying and was out and out our best. I thought Knighta just tried and tried and tried - we'd love three of him.
"We are very envious of them, we just have to find ways to work harder and beat them next year."
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Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
