Batemans Bay's Adam O'Brien is on top of the NRL universe for the fourth time after helping guide the Sydney Roosters to the 2019 premiership on Sunday night.
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O'Brien is an assistant coach at the Roosters, and marked his fourth straight NRL grand final with his fourth overall premiership.
He previously won premierships with the Melbourne Storm in 2009, 2012, and 2017.
O'Brien said he had been "blessed" to be involved with two strong clubs over his career.
"This one is as special as the first one," he said. "It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of things to go your way to win a premiership.
"I can't thank these players enough, and also the players in Melbourne, to have achieved what I've done."
He said he wouldn't be in his current position without the support of the Far South Coast, and had already received a lot of messages from friends back home.
"I've had a ton of messages from back in Batemans Bay," he said. "I've got family and friends down there, so the phone was going red hot.
"I appreciate all their support down there - without these guys I grew up with, and without the Batemans Bay Tigers, I'm not in this position.
"I'm very grateful for the upbringing I had down there on the South Coast, and I wouldn't be here without the people that helped me along the way.
"My heart will always be with Batemans Bay, and my wife is from Ulladulla. We'll call that place home one day, we're just on a journey at the moment."
The Roosters were tied with the Canberra Raiders 8-all with 10 minutes to go, but a late try to James Tedesco made sure of the result.
O'Brien said the Roosters' coaching box was surprisingly calm considering how close the match against Canberra was.
"I've noticed over the years that the bigger the game, the more calm everything is in the box," he said. "I learnt that from Craig (Bellamy) in Melbourne, and Trent (Robinson) was the same in Sydney.
"Of course it was a nerve-wracking experience because of the magnitude of the game, but there was an air of confidence at the same time.
"We'd done the work all year, it was just about applying it to the biggest stage."
O'Brien looked after the Roosters' attack this season, but said the team's defence was the main reason for the win.
"We were in a real arm wrestle, and we weren't sure who would crack first, but luckily we have guys in our team that can break a game open in an instant," he said. "As good as that last try was, the defensive resolve, particularly when Cooper (Cronk) was in the sin bin, was what got us the win.
"We were able to turn the Raiders away when we weren't getting many opportunities in the second half.
"Thankfully our guys have shown all year that if you give them a chance, they'll take it."
The match wasn't without controversy, as two separate incidents involving the referees have been heavily scrutinised in the wash up.
However, O'Brien said he was disappointed that the media and fans were focusing on individual moments rather than the match as a whole.
"It's disappointing, but it's the nature of society," he said. "We seem to always want to look at the negative narrative rather than the positive.
"There are so many moments in that game that go either way, so I don't think it comes down to just one moment that cost Canberra, or one moment that won us the game.
"Both teams played well on the night, both teams had great season, but it's the nature of the beast."
He said he felt "extremely proud" to be part of the first side to win back-to-back premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1993.
"It's an extremely hard thing to do in this day and age," he said. "We came close in Melbourne in 2018, but to be able to part of a team that has done it is an extremely proud moment.
"The salary cap makes it a really hard thing to do, so the boys should be pretty proud of themselves."
O'Brien is now ready to move into the next phase of his career as the head coach of the Newcastle Knights.
"The first thing I want to instill up there is a winning mindset, but I also don't want to look too far ahead of myself," he said. "There's a lot of work to be done between now and next season.
"If I can pass on the experience I've had at the Storm and Roosters, and teach the players how to get their preparation right to perform at their best every day, it'll be a good start.
"The number one thing is being the best versions of ourselves each day; if you get that right, but things will happen.
"The people of Newcastle, and the squad itself, need to have a positive mindset, but we also need to get a heap of work done in between."