SOUTH ROVERS' under 15s were going to fight tooth and nail to ensure their third attempt at claiming a premiership wouldn't result in another heartbreaking finish.
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Led by father-son duo Dean and Miles Picken, the Lions fought off Kolora-Noorat in a low-scoring 3.4 (22) to 2.4 (16) thriller on Saturday to claim the elusive premiership victory.
It's the first time since 2011 the club has secured a victory on the final day of the season in the age group. Their last attempt was a five-point defeat to Panmure in 2015.
"This is our third attempt at trying to get to the big stage - two prelims and then this one," Dean said of his side's past efforts at flag success.
"These boys have been together for about three or four years now so they really know each other and I have been lucky enough to be coaching them for that period of time.
"We pretty much got our game style but the conditions didn't really adapt to any team today."
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Last season the Lions were defeated by Merrivale in a one-point thriller while the year before they were smashed by eventual premiers Dennington.
Judah Greene was named best on ground for his starring efforts in the six-point victory.
Picken praised the extra work his young star had put in during season, which resulting in him collecting a "well deserved" accolade.
"He has been a leader all year and did a lot of pre-season to get himself super fit and he has been able to attack the ball," he said.
"He is unrelenting, goes contest to contest and hard it."
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