There's something about earning something the hard way that changes what it means. South Australia's coaches and players know this better than most heading into this week's Sheffield Shield final at Junction Oval in Melbourne.
Coach Ryan Harris says their path to reach a second successive Shield final would make a second title even more satisfying. Fair dinkum, that's an understatement. If the Redbacks pull off back-to-back titles, they'll do it the long way round.
Compare this year to last. Last year Harris's charges were runaway ladder-leaders before chasing down a record total for a four-wicket win over Queensland to lift their first trophy in 29 years. They were the best team in the competition from day one. This season? Different beast entirely.
This season South Australia have battled multiple injuries and squeezed into the final after drawing with the Vics in the last round of the season, while third-placed Queensland went down to Tasmania. They didn't dominate the ladder; they had to claw their way in. They've had a couple of Australia A players go early in the season and then around that time a few of their backups were injured, creating what Harris calls "a challenge."
Yet here's the thing about this group. South Australia have hit timely form and are undefeated in the four-day competition since late October. They've pulled themselves together when it matters. If they beat Victoria, South Australia would be looking for successive Shield titles for the first time in the competition's history.
That's no small thing. South Australia's 14 Shield titles span from 1893-94 through to last year. Not once have they done back-to-back. Victoria, sitting across the table from them this week, did it three years running from 2014-15 to 2016-17. The Vics know how to win finals. They're the favourites. But Harris's battered, bruised, and determined outfit has already shown they can do hard things.
Harris said coaching last year was easy after getting through a season with barely any injuries, but "it's been totally different this year," and he sees the group fighting through those challenges as "a big thing for this group". When your squad has had to dig deeper than most, when your players have filled gaps and backed up injured mates, victory feels different. It means more.
The Sheffield Shield final begins Thursday 26 March and you've got to hand it to South Australia. Getting this far, getting fit enough to compete, getting sharp enough to challenge the ladder-leaders? That took some grit. If they finish the job, they'll have earned every bit of it.