IT'S one thing to be successful in a grand final when nobody really expects you to but it's sweeter to take a title that you're favourites to win.
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That was the philosophy of St Collegians captain Michelle Williams after her team beat old foes Apollo Illusions 53-33 in Saturday's Rawson Homes Premiership A-grade grand final.
The two sides had split the previous two grand finals in 2012 and 2013, with the underdog winning on each occasion.
But on Saturday, with the favourites tag resting firmly over them, Collegians led from start to finish to cap a season in which they lost just one match.
"With the history we have with Illusions we knew we needed to get off to a good start and thankfully we were able to do that," Williams said.
"They only had the seven players and it was a hot day, but we needed to build an early lead otherwise we knew they would go with us and feel like they were in the contest."
And get off to a good start they did.
Collegians defence was particularly stingy in the opening term, allowing Illusions to score just four goals while landing 13 themselves to build a nine-point buffer at the first break.
While the second-quarter defence wasn't quite as stifling the defending champions, who were without rep defender Jacinda Spicer, were able to build on their lead as they took a 31-12 lead into half-time.
The teams were evenly matched in the third term, with Illusions actually outscoring their rivals 13-12 but they weren't able to make enough of an inroad into the margin to ensure a thrilling contest in the last 15 minutes, with Collegians eventually winning by 20.
"We probably had a lapse in concentration in the third quarter, which was a bit disappointing but it was understandable because we were a fair way in front by that stage," Williams said.
"One of the pleasing things from my perspective was that we were able to give Laura Howell and Edwina Capell the chance to play attack together in the final term, because they have come through the ranks together and they're going off to uni next year."
Collegians' win capped a big day for the Saints club, who claimed five titles on the day. "We're a big club with a lot of numbers, and a lot of work goes into running everything, so for us to have so many teams in the grand finals and to win five was a great result for us," Williams said.
One decider Saints didn't win was the B-grade grand final, where Apollo Cruizers capped a big year by scoring a 50-32 win over St Spartans.
Cruizers finished at the top of their pool in the competition, while Spartans won two elimination games just to make it to the final match of the season.
But they were blown off the court by Cruizers, who were on fire early as they built an 18-5 lead by quarter-time.
While Spartans never gave up they were unable to bridge the gap, ultimately going down by 18 points.