Marong captain Corey Gregg admitted following the Panthers' 16-point grand final win over Pyramid Hill on Saturday that there was "more pressure on us" to win the flag this year.
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The triumph culminates an incredible season for the Panthers, who defended their reigning premiership crown with absolute ease until grand final day.
"Given our record and trying to go back-to-back, it meant everyone was hunting us this year, so I'm very proud of how the boys stood up under the heat, especially on Saturday," Gregg said.
"We knew Pyramid would be tough to beat with their full side in, and they threw everything at us.
"If we had kicked straighter, it would have been a lot more of a comfortable day, but you can't take anything away from Pyramid's performance as they didn't give in and kept coming at us."
That never-say-die attitude from the Bulldogs was on full display in the final term, where they peppered the Panthers back half.
But the back six of the Panthers stood tall amidst the wave of forward 50 entries for the Bulldogs.
Gregg lauded performance of the defence and, in particular, that of best-on-ground Richard Tibbett.
"Our defence was absolutely incredible, and as we always say, defence wins premierships, which was proven on Saturday," Gregg said.
"Richard (Tibbett) is a superstar in everything he does.
"The way he goes back into packs, taking intercept mark after intercept mark and how he sets everything up going forward - it can't be understated how important that is for us."
Gregg, who coached the Panthers during some middling seasons in the last decade, has now seen the club that plays in a league known for dominant dynasties become a powerhouse in another stratosphere with a ridiculous percentage of 578.73 during the regular season.
The work to get to this level hasn't come quickly, and while the Panthers still might play in the HDFL next season, the success won't be a flash in the pan, according to Gregg, with a batch of young stars headed by Harding Medal runner up Jimmy Gadsden set to take the them into the future.
"There are a lot of people who have put a ton of work in over the last 15 years to get this club to where it is now, and I'm just ecstatic to be involved in it," Gregg said.
"Then there's these kids we have who just elevate us older boys every week.
"They keep putting the pressure on us to keep going, and when it mattered most in the grand final, they stood up with their pace and skillset."
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