Yesterday's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Melbourne Vixens in the transtasman grand final was vindication for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.
Captain Laura Langman was elated as she "finally" held aloft the coveted ANZ Championship trophy after her team's 41-38 win in a rollercoaster grand final in Melbourne.
Also named the competition's most valuable player, 26-year-old Langman said Magic never lost faith in what they were doing, despite a rocky start to their 2012 campaign.
Written off by some after a season-opening four straight losses, Magic were last night celebrating their biggest moment in the ANZ Championship, becoming the first New Zealand team to take the title.
This year, Magic changed their approach and held one another more accountable, creating a performance culture which saw them find something extra, an unbreakable internal strength that led them on an unprecedented 12-game winning streak.
"The losses were definitely unplanned but we went from strength to strength every game and knew we were on the right track. We never stopped believing," Langman said.
Winning the title was "a long time coming" for Magic and would mean "a whole lot to a lot of people for many different reasons".
"We've not had the easiest campaign, we've had our ups and downs and I'm just so proud of what we've achieved, given where we've come from," she said.
Magic are the only side to have made the play-offs every year so far but had always fallen short until yesterday, twice beaten in the grand final.
Langman, who shared the most valuable player award with Northern Mystics star Temepara George, said every game had been a full team effort.
"That includes the girls on the sideline - and the support we get from everyone involved and the fans is sensational."
There were plenty of Magic fans among the 10,500 at Melbourne's Hisense Arena yesterday.
As they have done several times this season, Magic stole the match late in the game, digging deep to turn around what looked to be a Vixens win by converting some crucial turnovers at the defensive end, where Casey Williams and player of the match Leana de Bruin were in devastating form.
The pair had the Vixens' shooters under the pump all game and poured on the pressure as the game wound down, causing hesitation and creating turnover opportunities.
Magic held their nerve to convert at the other end, sharpshooter Irene van Dyk once again coming up trumps and goal attack Julianna Naoupu, who struggled at times during the match, stepping up when it counted most.
The match opened with a low-scoring, error-ridden first quarter from both teams, ending with the Vixens up 8-7. In the second spell Williams and de Bruin continued to badger the Vixens shooters and gained plenty of turnovers but Magic had trouble finding any rhythm at the attacking end. Clean ball was hard to come by and the Vixens were better at converting their turnovers.
The Vixens were up 22-18 at halftime and by the middle of the third spell, Magic had slipped back before pulling themselves together for a four-goal streak to finish just three down, the Vixens leading 31-28 going into the final 15 minutes.
The final quarter saw Magic start well, scoring four goals in succession, then continuing to gain turnovers to fashion a three-goal lead. The Vixens were far from done, however, battling away to level the score at 38-all to set up a nail-biting finish.
It was Magic who held their nerve to score the winning goals and take the title though.