After the 2019 Dubbo Waratahs Rugby League Knockout, Gerry 'Chicka' Merritt fought back tears and struggled to find the words to describe what his team meant to him.
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His Billy Merritt Memorial side has just lost the final and that hurt, but he spoke about how special it was to see people playing for his family.
On Saturday night, when the Merritt side finally won its first Waratahs Knockout crown it was clear how much it meant to everyone else.
Chicka was swamped by family and friends after Josh Merritt's field goal sealed a 13-12 victory in one of the great knockout clashes at Dubbo.
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Chicka might not have coached the team this year - Mick Dunn had the job for the weekend - but he was team manager and he and his wife Sue remained a huge amount of the team.
"Chick's work and what he does for this side is unbelievable," Josh said after lifting the Waratahs trophy.
"He works hard and so does Aunty Sue. They love it and they love getting us boys together with our loved ones."
This year the team was named the BRS Merritt side and there was even more emotion involved as the team honoured Billy as well as Rita and Stephen, who had passed away in the two years since the Waratahs Knockout was last played.
As one of Billy and Rita's children and the brother of Stephen, Chicka said this year's event and the players who pulled on the jersey on Saturday meant a huge amount to him.
"They mean everything," he said.
"They (players) mean the world to me and my family. We're family. The love we have for each other in this squad, it just means everything.
"It's been nine years in the making. We've been runners-up a couple of times but to win it with this group of fellas is the best feeling ever."
Chicka also paid credit to the players who pulled on a Merritt jersey in the past, saying he thanked "from the bottom of my heart" while he saved the biggest thank you for his wife, Sue, for supporting him in organising the team each year.
This marked the ninth successive year the Merritts had entered a side and their breakthrough grand final win was done the hard way.
The Euabolong Tigers led by six with five minutes remaining at Apex Oval, but a Jeremy Thurston try sent the match to golden point.
Josh Merritt was worthy of being the match-winner as he is one of the players who has been a part of every Merritt side to compete at the carnival.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
