The energetic small forward, who joined the club in the pre-season, said he enjoyed the moment he got to realise his dream with son Carter on Saturday.

“I have been waiting 18 years to hold onto this medal,” he said. “So to have him feel the same sort of thing coming through me was a special moment. It’s a surreal feeling and I have got a few days to let it sink in.”

Searle said when he joined the Blues, from Melbourne-based club Sunshine Kangaroos in the pre-season, he could sense a strong feeling within the group of players.

“I was confident that with the team that we had that if we got the cattle out on the field we were definitely going to do the job,” he said.

“The forward line was crazy this year and the back line and midfield really held and that’s why we were so dominant.

“Our back line was the best in the league and the midfielders fed off them and then our forward line was able to do what we do.”

The former Melbourne resident, who moved down to the south-west at the beginning of the year to start a family, didn’t hit the scoreboard in the grand final but his pressure on the Warriors’ defenders was enough to help his side assert its dominance.

From 17 games this season, Searle kicked 34 goals in a forward line which featured the likes of Travis Graham (46), Jesse Dalton (20 including two in the final) and Gary Robinson (71).