Having missed finals the previous year, coach Paul McGowan is surprised by his team's improvement in such a short time.

"We didn't expect to win the grand final this year; we were happy just to make finals," he said.

"The club recruited eight to 10 new players, most of whom were young and inexperienced.

"Our oldest player is 26. The boys showed a lot of ticker to fight back the way they did."

McGowan's faith in the younger players paid off. "Matthew Shiell, the captain, at one point wanted some of the experienced guys to come back into the side," McGowan said. "We decided to stick with the youth and it paid off. Our under-17s also won the grand final so we're looking at more younger players for next season."

While the Wests' young stars performed well, it was the captain who shone and led by example. "Matthew was our standout player this season and will go close to winning the league's best and fairest," McGowan said. "He scored 330 runs and took 34 wickets."

The performances of Corey Irving and Chris Irving also played a big part in the winning season. "Chris took 30 wickets, while Corey took 20 and made 250 runs.

"Their grand final performances - Corey took five wickets and made 51 in the second innings and Chris took eight wickets - capped off great seasons."

McGowan

added: "I've been in 15-odd grand finals as a player and coach and this is the best of them. To go in as underdogs and win like that makes it more special."