The Diggers provided stubborn resistance early on, leading at quarter time and trailing by only two at half time, but the final margin flattered them as the Seahawks asserted their superiority in the last two quarters.

The Seahawks’ tally of 16 behinds shows that they should have won by more, and so many of these shots bounced off the goal posts that even their fans started to see the funny side.

It was a double celebration for Seahawks’ full forward, who kicked his 100th goal for the season despite being heavily marked.

Playing in his first senior grand final, Jake Millynn was outstanding, while Daryn Stocks was the man of the match.

Despite the 27-point margin, Seahawks midfielder Jacob Muthsam insisted the grand final was no picnic at Hanging Rock.

“It was the hardest we have been challenged all year,” he said.

“It was frustrating kicking all those behinds, because we really could have opened the score up, but that was due to the pressure they were putting on us.”

Muthsam said the Seahawks knew the Diggers would make their presence felt physically.

“We knew they would come at us hard, because that is their style of play, and we were playing according to that in the first half, but in the second half we began to open up and run,” he said.

Muthsam said Stocks’s man of the match honour was well deserved.

“Stocksy chopped down so many of their kicks, and he was our best player all finals series,” he said.

Considering what they were up against, Diggers captain-coach Dan Edwards had every right to be happy with his team’s performance.

“I’m quite proud of our boys, and I was happy with our performance,” he said.

“The Bay were a bit too classy in the end.”

However, he believes the outcome could have been better for his team if they had made the most of their chances.

“We probably should have been three or four goals further ahead at half time, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” he said.

“It was a matter of not taking advantage of our possession in the first half.”

Edwards didn’t take anything away from the Seahawks, and conceded they were just too good.

“They are strong right across the ground, and they all put their hands up,” he said.

“For us blokes to stay with them for as long as we did, was great.”