From the opening minute of Saturday's New England Rugby Union second grade grand final, there was no doubt the Glen Innes Elks had come to play.
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They roared from the get-go and produced the most dominant performance on grand final day to belt St Albert's College 46-14.
In fact, the score could have been higher had the Elks not taken their foot off the accelerator with 15 minutes on the clock and the match wrapped up.
Co-captain Tom Benton applauded the ferocity of which his side came out of the blocks.
"It has been a long time since we have put on a performance like that," he said.
"All season we haven't played a game like that.
"The intensity when we first came out, they [Albies] were always going to struggle if we were going to bring it."
Barely a minute had passed since the opening whistle when Jack Miller busted through the Albies' defence to put first points on the board.
Kaleb Hope made no mistake with the conversion for the Elks to go 7-nil up.
Then Harry Brown broke open the students for back-to-back five-points, both converted by Hope.
But the Elks weren't bulletproof, gifting Albies possession on their own line for Lachlan McGufficke to score five minutes from half-time.
Ryan Smith hit back immediately after for the Elks to hold a 26-7 advantage at the break.
Cory McClelland scored the first try of the second stanza, Hope converting, before Albies fullback Tom Puckeridge sliced through for a converted try.
Nick Grob then made his way down the sideline, found Hope in support for more points and the score was then 43-14.
The final points of the match came via a Hope penalty goal to round out the scoreline.
For a large portion of the season, the Elks had doubled up to play third grade for Tenterfield and then their second grade fixtures.
But on grand final day, they entered the second grade game fresh.
"The struggle comes when we are missing people week-in, week-out because we are only a single-team club," Benton said.
"But you get it together when you get the full XV you want on and it is a really good team.
"It was much easier today though not having to play two games and having a fresh bench but that is just the luxury you get at this end of the season.
"But it has been good for both clubs throughout the season."
Adding to that is the continuity the Elks have had with a fair chunk of the squad coming together in 2020 and playing together for the last four seasons.
"In the Covid year we had a bit of an influx of players who had never played union because league had shut down and the New England Zone was the only rugby Zone that ran for the year in NSW," Benton said.
"We had an influx of players then so this group has been building together since then really."
The Elks and Elkettes also featured among the individual awards.
Mitch Swift received the Richard Croft Shield for services to rugby while Brooke Klingner was awarded joint recipient of the Alana Thomas player of most promise award, alongside Armidale Blues' Matilda Magyar.