A proud-as-punch Brisbane Lions Reserves Coach Nathan Clarke ran out of superlatives to describe his team’s performance in the wake of their 69-point NEAFL cross-conference Championship win over Queanbeyan at Manuka Oval on Saturday.

After winning his first senior flag last week courtesy of a thumping defeat of NT Thunder in the Northern Conference decider, Christmas came early for Clarke, returning to a ground where he had once been captain-coach of the ACT representative side.

“It’s an absolutely amazing and very exciting feeling; I’m loving life right now,” beamed Clarke.

“This is without doubt one of the best wins I’ve ever had; the boys were absolutely brilliant - it was a fantastic day. Everyone’s over the moon.”

A severely undermanned Lions side entered the inter-conference decider as outsiders, against a Tigers outfit buoyed by their stunning upset of the Sydney Swans Reserves (who the Lions lost to twice in 2012), which won them the Eastern Conference.

This week the Canberra-siders were on the wrong end of the Grand Final boilover, with the Lions arresting an early deficit to pile on 17 goals to seven after quarter-time to run out comfortable winners.

Watch the replay courtesy of the NEAFL website 

Clarke said the championship victory was equally as satisfying as winning the Northern Conference, though for different reasons.

While the Lions were clinical in dispatching NT at Yeronga last week, with 18 listed-players and a 2000-strong home crowd they were expected to do so. Against the Tigers, the situation couldn’t have been more different.

“We were playing away from home obviously, with only a handful of Lions supporters there and 14 top-up players - a completely different kettle of fish,” explained Clarke.

“Many of the top-ups were kids who had only played a handful of senior games before. We didn’t even get to have even one training session with everyone together in the week leading up to the game.”

“A few of the boys met each other for the first time at the airport on Friday; 24 hours later they were playing a in a Grand Final together.”

The youngsters filling in did more than make up the numbers; many of them played out of their skins in the biggest game of their lives.

The likes of Morningside’s running defender Jesse Wallin, tagger Rhys Power, opportunistic forwards Jack Fox and Josh Stiller, and utility Aden Rutledge showed more than enough to suggest they’re destined to be players of the future.

Isaac Conway - who’ll almost certainly captain the Queensland U18 side at next year’s National Championships, was another who excelled, as did Dave Cummins; scything through the corridor on eye-catchingly evasive runs throughout the game.

“The youth injected some real life into the side; of all 14 who filled in for us I honestly can’t fault anybody,” enthused Clarke

“The best thing is so many of the top-ups are Lions Academy boys, so it’s a fantastic thing for the Club’s future that the up-and-coming blokes have got such invaluable big-game experience so early in their careers-and showed they can handle the occasion.”