With the 2021 premiership cup next to him on stage, a sea of red and blue in the crowd and 23 of his players behind them wearing their medals, the Melbourne coach’s heart was beating true.

“I just look out here and it’s really dawned on me now that we’ve done something incredibly special for our people,” Goodwin said at Sunday’s post-grand final presentation in Perth’s CBD.

“It’s been 57 years, we’re bringing the cup home.”

Hundreds of Melbourne fans gathered to see the players and their new cup up close.

Captain Max Gawn received the biggest cheer, Ben Brown labelled James Harmes best-on-ground at the after-party and chief executive Gary Pert spoke of how the club had sold two years’ worth of merchandise in less than 24 hours.

Among the crowd were Gawn and Brown dolls, Kysaiah Pickett and Christian Petracca cardboard cut-outs, and a lot of disbelief.

Plenty of supporters would not have been alive for the Demons’ last premiership in 1964.

The club had also been a league laughing stock for so long, finishing bottom twice in the past 15 years and second-last three times, including two seasons ago.

Covid stopped the game and the celebrations from happening in Melbourne heartland, but the Demons faithful that could get there lapped it up.

“It was the best night of my life by far,” said supporter Michael Barbaro, who came from Adelaide to attend the grand final.

Barbaro, 27, and his brother Rocky, 37, arrived at 9am for Sunday’s 10.45am presentation so they could stand in the front row.

They became Demons fans because their father Tony arrived in Melbourne from Italy in 1960 when the club won its fifth of six flags in 10 seasons.

“I cried all week, cried all night, I’ll probably cry today,” Rocky said.

Tears were not restricted to long-suffering fans.

Premiership player Jack Viney said he became emotional when he spoke to his dad Todd in the aftermath of the victory.

As Melbourne great and Sunday’s MC Garry Lyon told the crowd, Viney had a care for the club since he was born and was now an important figure in its drought-breaking success.

Viney could not wait to show his father his medal.

“It’ll take a while for him to sink in,” Viney said.

“Being in Melbourne you don’t get to be around the hype and intensity of the occasion.

“Once we get back home, I’ll show him the medal ... I’m sure it’ll start to sink in and emotions will start pouring out the big fella.”

While Lyon and the Vineys are Melbourne through and through, newer Demons have also been caught up in the club’s fairytale.

When ‘It’s a Grand Old Flag’ was played three times in a row, football performance manager Alan Richardson and head of development Mark Williams belted it out on stage with as much gusto as any of the squad.

Or at least with the exception of Harmes, who grabbed the microphone.

Both former senior coaches took videos that captured the moment, panning between the crowd and player celebrations.

“We’ve got a special bunch of players, but we’ve also got a special bunch of staff over here,” Goodwin said.

“The amount of work that goes into building a strong footy club, it takes a lot of united people and we’re very lucky at the moment – that’s what we’ve got at the footy club and it’s very special to be around.”

Gawn said the best moment of the night before was when the final siren sounded and teammates who were not playing such as Jake Melksham, Kade Chandler, Sam Weideman and Majak Daw charged towards them to celebrate.

GAWN BEST ON GROUND IN FLAG CELEBRATION

Video of Demons captain Max Gawn clutching a bottle of champagne while dancing on someone’s shoulders has gone viral and his teammate has revealed best on ground celebrations votes.

The vision also shows the team dancing outdoors with fans with the premiership trophy being held aloft.

On Sunday morning, a hoarse sounding Angus Brayshaw revealed Gawn definitely earned best-on-ground honours at the premiership celebrations.

“My voice is ruined,” Brayshaw said on Channel 9. “I had a great night but I wanted to appreciate this morning and this moment.

“Gawn gets three votes, Steven May two and I’ll take one vote.”

When asked if rumours he went out still in his playing kit – boots and all – Brayshaw said: “I didn’t have time to take it all off. It got a bit slippery, footy boots don’t go well on a pub floor. But it’s all good.”

Earlier in the evening, players were in fine voice, singing Sweet Caroline, Mr Brightside and the club song in the rooms while enjoying some well-earned beers.

Melbourne ended a 57-year premiership drought with a smashing of the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night, with Gawn declaring that “after 57 years of pain, it’s coming home.”

Gawn also took time to pay tribute to club heroes making special mention of Troy Broadbridge, Jim Stynes and Colin Sylvia and former Demons coach Dean Bailey.

But he had a little extra for Neale Daniher, who he said inspired his pre-match speech.

“We’ve had a lot of tragedy that’s followed the club. Especially since I’ve been there,” Gawn said.

“Troy Broadbridge, Dean Bailey, who drafted me, Colin Sylvia — his parents reached out to me — and Neale Daniher, who is going through one almighty fight with MND.

“His (Daniher) poster was up on the wall before the game. He’s got a big quote — ‘You can talk as much as you want, it’s about doing’.

“That was my speech before the game, quoting his famous comment.

“He lives with us. He is still going strong. It is a shame he wasn’t here tonight.

“The Daniher family, Stynes family, it is very well documented my connection with the Stynes family.

“They’re special people that make this club special.”

Melbourne’s 74-point win was just the seventh premiership win by a minor premier since the start of the 2000s.

The last side to achieve that feat before the Demons at Perth Stadium was Hawthorn in 2013.

That Hawks win was also the only one of their trifecta of flags achieved under Alastair Clarkson between 2013 and 2015 that came after they finished on top of the ladder after the home-and-away season.