WRITTEN in big, bold lettering on a whiteboard in the Manly dressing room were two words: "Kick pressure".

And how Matt Orford kicked the pressure that had plagued him in the lead-up to the grand final. How the Sea Eagles kicked the pressure of Melbourne's imposing record against them.

Manly legend Geoff Toovey said there was "a calmness among the players before the game that I didn't see last year". This was a "meant to be" premiership, the club said.

When the victorious players charged into the rooms after their lap of honour, with all the thirst of first, they were greeted with a handshake from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Moments later it was their own head of state, Des Hasler, delivering his premiership address as the players sat transfixed in a circle around him.

A rare treat it was to listen to the coach talking to the room packed with Manly supporters - the families and sponsors - and raise his voice to a level where neck-craning was not required.

He boomed: "To this group of men that sit here before you now, we made a statement two or three weeks ago that these men that represented the team, that represented the club tonight, they are indeed the heart and the pulse, you know. They acquit themselves so well. We are so very, very proud of you boys. You deserve everything you get, and I am so pleased that you are now grand final champions."

The cheer that erupted could have lifted Rudd high enough to keep pace with the world's climbing financial debt.

Hasler continued: "It would be remiss of me to ignore my staff. The staff, the people who work so closely with these players, you know, they put in the hours and hours, and they work so hard and they work so long. And all the time the staff have these individuals, these players here, at their heart and their mind the whole time. To my staff, you are super, you are just superb, and I salute you."

Then the amber flowed. Anthony Watmough sprayed champagne on Hasler and hugged people like they were relatives returned from five months in a jungle. Players took three photos for every three centimetres they walked, with the room as packed as a train. "It's a great team, one of the best I've ever played with," five-eighth Jamie Lyon said.