It was like all his teammates' emotion was channelled through him.
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As the Bulldogs celebrated their 52-point grand final defeat of the Swans, Brendon Lemon - his hair shaved on the sides and turned into a mullet for the match - wept.
The side's second-straight premiership, and third title in four years, was the cherry on the top for what has been a rewarding homecoming for the ruckman called Ruck Lobster, or the more routine Lemo.
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He returned home last year after eight years away in the Air Force, then returned to the Bulldogs this season. It was his debut premiership with a club he has played 82 games for.
Sitting on Wolseley Oval's lush surface, his eyes red, he nursed his two-year-old twin daughters Edie and Clara as the post-match presentation was conducted.
It was the 38-year-old's first premiership since winning one with the Red Devils under-18 side.
"It's one off the bucket list," said the senior water operator at Gunnedah Shire Council.
"It's great that the club's kept on going through all the hard times," he added. "And then the way that they've brought all these young kids in and just built a great culture, a great team - and the reward speaks for itself."
Gunnedah coach Doug Meagher also paid tribute to the club for emerging from the gloomy years so spectacularly.
That occurred, he continued, because Gunnedah were a "great club" with "great people".
"This is a club that started with nothing ... they had a lot of lean years," he said. "And some of the boys, who have been here a long time, have suffered through those lean years.
"They've finally got what they deserve: three premierships in four years is a pretty handy return for them. I'm proud for them, more than anything else."
Meagher also spoke about the "luck" the Dogs benefited from after "a few players landed on our doorstep" this season "with a few phones calls".
"But we worked hard for it, and they've got their rewards," he added.
