HDFNL GRAND FINAL: Blues skipper Chris Down adjudged best afield

On an afternoon where there weren't too many standouts, Down and player-coach Adam Baird were superb, along with some unlikely heroes, including Caelan Smith and Jack Mackenzie.

Down would have won about 75 per cent of his ruck contests, and after a brilliant first half, he imposed himself on the match even further following the main break.

The big man turned the tide on numerous occasions in the third and fourth terms with his tap work and ability to smash the ball forward, vital to the Blues' success.

Ever the humble and laid-back operator, Down, in his acceptance speech, highlighted the performance of Baird, but in an interview with the Bendigo Advertiser moments after the game, said he was thrilled to receive the medal after recently missing out on another prestigious award.

"It's a real special feeling, and I didn't expect it because I thought some other blokes were very deserving of it," Down said.

"I missed out on the HDFNL team of the year, which I was a bit disappointed with, but this certainly makes up for it, and I'm just glad I could do my part."

Baird was the primary beneficiary of Down's ruck dominance, and there would have been no arguments had he been adjudged best afield.

Down lauded the star midfielder who accumulated high numbers and sieved through stoppages.

"He led from the front all day and does everything in the breaks to keep us up and about," Down said.

"He's been the catalyst for our success."

The early signs were troublesome for the Blues after the Saints nailed the first three without Down's side even getting a deep forward entry.

The front six looked listless but turned it around quickly, and by quarter time, the Blues had the lead.

From that point onwards, whenever the ball hit the deck inside the Blues' attacking half, they looked destined to score with the likes of Smith, Mackenzie and Mitch Rovers running rings around Saints defenders.

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"They were great at applying that forward pressure, and all our entries generally resulted in a shot at goal because of it," Down said.

"In finals, scoreboard pressure is so important, and when Caelan (Smith) kicked two of those four early goals in the last term, it was incredibly important."

Those four goals in the first ten minutes of the last stanza were symbolic of the Blues campaign.

They had been written off numerous times - before the season when they lost over half a dozen of their 2022 grand final side, when co-coach Ben Weightman succumbed to a serious back injury and in the leadup to this match with the conversation circling around how the Blues would run out of legs on a sunny early Spring day after a lead-in of three bruising finals on the trot.

Down and his teammates answered those queries with aplomb and said lessons from their failure at the final hurdle last season taught them they would be the ones with fresh legs.

"From the last game against Lockington-Bamawn in the regular season, we have had hard-fought contests which helped us get battle-hardened for today," Down said.

"They were coming in fresh but not match fit, so it was one of those trade-off things.

"We were in the same scenario last year after having the preliminary final off, and we know first-hand how you can let it slip away from you."

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The win broke a 17-year premiership drought for the Blues, and the ecstatic celebrations following the final siren from players and supporters alike will live long in the memory of all involved.

"It means so much to the club because we've had some hardship throughout the years and in particular this season," Down said.

"There were some certain individuals we really wanted to win it for today, and that's why there was just a little bit more emotion on the final siren."

Down can add the dual medals he achieved on Saturday to his glistening trophy cabinet that includes a premiership with Calivil United and a LVFNL Harding Medal.

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