Gisborne coach Rob Waters the mastermind behind Gisborne's premiership glory

The Dogs had lost by 12 points, but it looked and felt like more.

After being at the top of the BFNL tree all season, the Dogs were on shaky ground.

In response, Waters took a leaf out of Collingwood's 2010 premiership playbook.

"After that drawn 2010 (AFL) grand final, Collingwood kept things positive while St Kilda were shot and they got blown out of the water the next week,'' Waters said.

"We had to be positive after the second semi. I took the boys into the rooms, told them a joke and we kept things positive. We couldn't afford to leave the QEO that day with negative thoughts.

"In the preliminary final when we got 15 points down I was a bit worried, but the boys showed some courage to win and here we are now celebrating a premiership.

"I couldn't be prouder of them."

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The 5.20 (50) to 2.10 (22) grand final win over Strathfieldsaye was a trademark Gisborne performance - nothing flash or fancy, just hard work and a solid structure behind the footy.

The fact the QEO was in the heaviest state it's been all season was no negative for the Dogs.

Waters admitted he liked what he saw when he arrived at the ground and found a track rated a heavy 10 rather than a good 4.

"Finals footy is all about contested footy and we knew there wasn't going to be much footy out in open space today,'' Waters said.

"We played on that. We had to hunt and hunt and hunt. We kicked like mules, but thankfully we got the job done.

"To see the boys go through with what we've taught them all year was really pleasing.

"It was a real credit to them today."

The victory was Waters' sixth premiership as a coach and 11th in total combining playing and coaching.

Former Gisborne skipper Jarrad Lynch said Waters' impact on the Gisborne playing group shouldn't be underestimated.

"Rob's a bloke who is obsessed with football,'' Lynch said of Waters.

"He puts a lot of time and effort in, but he still finds a way to build relationships with people in different ways.

"Some people like to be coached hard, while others need love and care and he recognises that quickly. He wants perfection, but he understands that it's local footy and family and work commitments matter.

"He's been fantastic for this group."

Waters will have every chance to build on his premiership record with Gisborne.

The Dogs have a young core and are well-placed to create a Strathfieldsaye-like dynasty where grand final appearances are regular.

"I know there's a couple of (senior) players talking about going overseas (next year) and that kind of thing, but stuff like that happens,'' Waters said.

"We had a number of players miss out today, our thirds won the flag today and we'll bring another three or four of them up next year. If we do everything right then there's no reason why we can't contend for a number of years."

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