THE new order in the Victorian Rugby League has an old look about it.

The Altona Roosters are back in power in the first grade after clinching the title in a cliffhanger on Sunday.

The tireless Roosters had to wait until extra-time to toast an unforgettable 28-26 win over a shellshocked Sunbury United Tigers.

The edge-of-your-seat grand final at Fregon Reserve, Clayton, was decided by a try to Roosters' unsung hero Kingi Kani in the first half of extra-time.

It meant the world to Roosters first year coach James Wanakore.

It was a career-defining moment for the man who took over the reins about a month into the season. "It's so sweet," he said. "I'm just ecstatic."

The extra-time period was a heart stopper. The Roosters scored a converted try to take a six-point lead. As the seconds ticked down, the Tigers crossed the try-line in the corner and had one last shot at extending the game a further 10 minutes.

The Tigers kicker Blake Leary missed his shot of a lifetime and the party in the Roosters camp began. It will last long into the week.

"It's overwhelming," Wanakore said. "I'm glad it over, it's just a relief. The boys were buzzing at the end."

The Tigers went into the game as favourites. They finished the season on top of the ladder and on paper had what many felt to be the better line-up.

But the game is not played on paper, nor is it won on reputations.

But there was a lot of self-belief within the Roosters team after they shocked the Tigers in the previous two meetings. "I feel we've had the wood on them," Wanakore said. "We went in confident we could win this game."

The first half was tight with the Roosters holding a slender 12-10 lead.

Wanakore was not impressed with the goings on in the opening 40 minutes.

He lashed his players at half-time for what he says was "ill disciplined" acts.

"I can't repeat what I said to the players. Let's just say I gave them a hard rev-up and told them to put their focus on football instead of the referee."