THE success of Huskisson-Vincentia in the 2019 Shoalhaven District Football Association season had been years in the making.
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So understandably, after waiting for 20 seasons to end their Blackmore Bolden Shield drought, Rob Hawker's men aren't ready to relinquish the title just yet.
"Last season was an unbelievable season for the club given what we were able to achieve in all our men's grades," Hawker said.
"Obviously winning the premiership in firsts was an unbelievable feeling, especially given it had been 20 years but more importantly, I was happy for the guys that had been at the club for so long to be rewarded for that loyalty."
On the grand final day, Hawker had all intentions on hanging up the clipboard but the desire to go back-to-back was too hard to walk away from.
"I always thought 2019 would be my last regardless of what we achieved but the opportunity to do something significant and go back-to-back with these guys, was difficult to pass up," he said.
"We also have a great coaching team at the club at the moment, which helps make my job a lot easier."
Once Hawker signed on for his fifth year in charge, the Seagulls began training for their 2020 flight.
"We started our pre-season at the beginning of February which is pretty much what we do each year, easing our way into things slowly," he said.
"For me, it's really about getting everyone back into a routine rather than anything else.
"Last year we were still signing players just before the first game and look what we achieved - I am certainly a more relaxed this year than in the previous years."
While Hawker may be more relaxed, he knows the whole squad is hungrier than ever for success.
"We are certainly are a more confident club at the moment but I don't think that's because we're the premiers from last year," he said.
"I just think all our players have a belief now they will win games and think that's something that has been developing for a while.
"You see that in other clubs over the years and I definitely feel that's Husky at the moment."
That confidence stems from the majority of last year's squad returning in 2019, except Luke Reid and Cain Mooy.
They've also added Lloyd Nash, Carlos Lang and Sherwin Saldanha, as well as welcoming back Chris Tweed, Tim Eastman and Jake Malligan.
"These new players really ensure we will still have solid depth across the board, especially in our goalkeeping ranks, where we now have players pushing each other in that position," he said.
"Overall our playing ranks look very strong again."
Hawker's men were originally supposed to start their premiership defence on April 4, but with Football NSW's decision to delay the start of all its competitions, due to the coronavirus, the club is unsure when they will return to the field.
"During this time, I hope the boys will continue to work on keeping fit," he said.
"The other aspect is really being excited for the season to start, apart from that, there is nothing else I can do."
Whenever they do return the field, Hawker believes his side will have less pressure than 2019, despite them being the 'hunted'.
"I believe we have less pressure this season than last year," he said.
"A lot of pressure comes with not having won a premiership in 20 years or if you have never won a first grade premiership as a player.
"We have now got those monkeys off our backs, so I think we can play with a bit more freedom."
As such, Hawker knows anything other than another premiership will be seen as a failure.
"I'm confident we can go all the way once again, as we have kept the majority of our first grade squad from last year and got some great new players, who will add to that," he said.
"The club has a lot of experience now playing in finals football across all our grades so that depth of experience will help.
"It [going back-to-back] hasn't been done in a while and certainly never at Husky, so there is certainly some motivation to try and achieve that."
The Seagulls currently hold all three pieces of Shoalhaven football first grade silverware, including the Blackmore Bolden Shield, Competition Championship and Henk Ruyg Cup.