The 60-point win over reigning premiers NT Thunder was the first flag of Clarke’s career - as a player or a coach - and you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
“It’s an amazing feeling, I am a very very happy bloke right now,” beamed Clarke.
“It was an absolutely terrific game, and just reward for our group of guys; who had an absolutely outstanding season.”
The Lions entered the Grand Final as heavy favourites; they were fresh from a fortnight off, they’d beaten the Thunder twice in 2012 away from home, and NT was travelling for the second week in a row.
Three early goals to Darren Ewing helped the visitors lead by 18 points at the first break, but from that point forward the men in Marron, Blue and Gold dominated; kicking 19of the next 24 majors and running away with the match.
Despite the eventual ten goal margin Clarke says he was ‘very scared’ until the 25 minute mark of the final term - when the realisation his side would win hit home.
“I was at fever pitch right up until there were five minutes to go; with NT you can never be completely sure you’ve got the game won,” Clarke explained.
“When we were up by 60 with five to go I knew it was in the bag, and my overwhelming emotion was relief. There was a bit of pressure on us today to go and finish off the job, and we did that, which was brilliant.”
Clarke, who has maintained all year the NT is the best side in the NEAFL, was surprised by the size of the winning gap, but says he knew his teams’ preparation had put them in the best possible position to play well.
“I didn’t expect to win at all, let alone by ten goals! Actually expect is the wrong word…I hoped and thought that we could win, and we had no excuse not to give it a red-hot crack. We planned really well and had a terrific couple of weeks leading in. It all went to pretty much exactly to plan.”
While Claye Beams deservedly won the Joe Grant Medal as best-afield for his 33 possession, four goal effort, Clarke praised the discipline of the whole playing group rather than singling out any other individuals.
“The guys’ willingness to accept their role and do no more than what was outlined to them was so crucial,” Clarke said.
“No-one tried to win the game by themselves; it was a team effort. That’s why it’s so satisfying. Every single bloke did something that made me go ‘thank goodness he did that!”
Several times this year Clarke has extolled the success of the Reserves as a great positive for the club as a whole, and the senior side in particular.
With the premiership now safe in the Lions’ keeping, Clarke forecasts a bright future for the Club.
“There’s no doubt Reserve grader success tends to flow on to the seniors - so to win the flag is a big step forward,” Clarke enthused.
“Geelong was in a similar position to us a few years ago. You see guys like Tom Harley, who played in reserve grade and U19 premierships went on to become an AFL premiership captain not long after.
“You can never say for sure that [AFL success] will necessarily happen, but it [NEAFL flag] is something for the group to be really proud of, and it bonds us together heading into 2013.”
The Lions will now face Queanbeyan this Saturday in the NEAFL inter-conference Championship match.
2012 NEAFL Grand Final Scoreboard
Brisbane Lions 2.2 10.7 16.8 21.8 (134)
NT Thunder 5.2 8.6 9.11 10.14 (74)
LIONS GOALS
Lisle 5, Beams 4, Cornelius 2,Hawksley 2, Bartlett 2, Fox 2, Crisp, Dyson, Buchanan, Stiller
LIONS BEST
Beams, Buchanan, Karnezis, S.Clarke, Docherty, Lisle
