Centrals Tigers came from a third-placed regular season finish to beat the Townsville Brothers 46-22, with former Maroon Matt Bowen leading the side against the defending premiers, who had lost only one game all season.
Coach Cameron Miller was proud of his side's achievement, noting every player lifted when Bowen joined them on the field.
The former State of Origin star, now 36, scored a try and kicked nine goals from nine attempts.
"Matty's experience and composure was the biggest thing, he really controlled us around the park, the boys lift to play another level when he's out there," Miller said.
"I thought we shifted the ball around and with Matty Bowen's attacking prowess we were very dangerous at all times with the footy."
Bowen earned Man of the Match honours, but Miller says the trophy was won by 17 players, not one.
"All the other boys played extremely well, I think there's a few unsung heroes in our team that don't get a lot of wraps," he said.
"Guys like Clancy Kersh, Dave Munroe, Ross Bella, Joey Munroe, Nathan Traill is another one."
Miller's plan was always to challenge Brothers through the middle, and their success in that area allowed them to dominate the game from start to finish, never losing the lead, before running away with it thanks to three late tries.
"I thought we played extremely well we made them turn over a lot of possession, I thought our defence was very physical and with that physicality about us we forced them into a lot of errors," he said.
"That's not in their game for Brothers to make a lot of mistakes, but that was testament to our attitude in defence and our energy out there which was very high. "
The premiership is a drought breaker for the club, and Miller always believed the side he had could do it if they applied themselves.
"It meant a lot to the club, it's been 16 years since the club has won a premiership," the coach said.
"When I agreed to go to the club I firmly believed we had a special group there, and I was more than confident with the guys we had there.
"One of the first things I said was if they fulfil their commitment and fulfil their attitude requirements, I had no doubt at all they'd be very successful."
Main Image: Trent Slatter
