Ann Pearce was nearly the first to jump out of her seat, running onto the court not knowing who to hug first.

In that exact moment, the Northern Hawks everything was rightly the centrepiece of all the wild partying amid the jubilant players, coaches and stunned well-wishers.

"It was just surreal. You can imagine then how I just felt. It was a long, long time coming," Pearce recalls the joy nearly two years later.

That day the Launceston side that battled for years and years just to survive not only ended AYC-Friends Arrows attempt for a fourth grand final win in a row, but the Hawks' own first premiership in 23 years.

The last time was under the name the Dominant Northerners, but a lot of heartache had passed since its past demise at the end of the century after collecting the silverware in the State League's 10th season.

That arguably had been been the loyal servant's greatest sporting moment.

"It was best day ever, but you know I am a Hawthorn fan, so the three-peat was pretty good," Pearce grins, "and 2008 [AFL grand final] was the moment of my life."

In a twist of irony, the AFL club has played its part to stave off the failures since the netballers later turned from the Northern Saints to Hawks through its financial support that happened to coincide with Hawthorn's own rise to AFL flag success.

"Without their support, we probably wouldn't be in the position that we have been," Pearce says. "It has just made it that so much easier and we do not have a problem getting a sponsor because we have that strong affiliation with Hawthorn."

The inaugural Launceston State League side before the Cavaliers had even been a thought were once broke, owing thousands of dollars to the Northern Tasmanian Netball Association.

Pearce, the public face for George Town, was one of the club representatives that had volunteered to keep the embattled side afloat.

"We had all put in money - some more than others - and paid off the debts they had and for the licence so to they could play," she recounts.

The licence had been up for grabs before the Saints were not only starting from scratch, but going through more than a rough period.

The victories in the 2018 premiership year - or even in the preceding back-to-back grand final seasons - were each more wins than the first handful starting out again.

It was that bad that it now gives Pearce good reason to shudder at the thought.

The 59-year-old, whose stint in the army had first led to playing in Healesville, Brisbane and Albury after starting humbly out 50 years ago in Campbell Town, took on all but every role possible to fill in the missing gaps.

"You've got to remember at the time, we were at the very bottom," Pearce says.

"We were down there for a very, very, very long time.

"The Northern Saints and then Northern Hawks, well we were your Devon then.

"We were really getting smashed by like 100 goals.

"That was us and, it was a really tough time to hang in there and keep going.

"You know when you do a five-year plan and you go and say, 'we're going to be premiers in five years' time?'

"Well, that was more like 15 years ago and we just only won. So it was pretty tough."

The club's president rolled up her sleeves first of all on the committee and all that has done was motivate the Hawks' spiritual leader off the court to even do more.

Should the Jill of all trades be asked, she would drove the team bus anywhere.

"Oh my God, I really do think I might have done everything," Pearce cackles.

"I've coached, I have been president, obviously, on and off over the years, had a go at secretary and really wasn't very good at it either.

"I've coached with Cheryl [Honeychurch] and I was her assistant but somehow or another I soon became the coach of the Opens and that was horrible. We did what we could do at first."

But open team manager is what the players have warmly received Pearce as.

She is the one who they can have a quiet word with. The knowledge of the game that is second to none helps.

"I do like to think the girls can talk to you about stuff that they can't talk to the coaches," she says.

"You get a better feel for the group that way."

But there is a tenacious side that on and off the court everyone has to respect.

Pearce jokes some in the club are more scared than anything, but the influence is what has driven many to continue striving for more.

"I think my attitude is like a dog with a bone," she says.

"I'm always like never give up, we never ever give up."

That was the attitude from those grand final losses to Arrows that turned around on her spirit that rubbed off.

And after an eight-goal start was blown last year, it will be there again when the Hawks face the Cavs next.

"You do start thinking do we give up, but then we'd have a little wake together. Then I'm like that's done, that's dusted and we've just got to go again," Pearce says.

"I mean if you can't do that, there's no point - really, you shouldn't be there."