Polo was best afield as Vic Country won the Brian Molony Cup, thanks to a prolific performance through the midfield and across halfback.

“Dean loved the challenge of ­playing footy at this level, and really rose to it accordingly,” Knights said.

“A lot of the time he spent at ­­half-back was for a rest, which is ­obviously a bit unusual, but it speaks to how good he was that afternoon.

“He took it to another level.”

Both Polo and O’Hara were among Country’s best against the VAFA, who put up a fight until half-time before being blown away by six goals to one in a dominant third quarter.

“Brayden and Dean were both in the leadership group for this side and their experience really shone through,” Knights said.

“They were first class from day one.

“The effort they went to to consistently travel and buy into the program was phenomenal, six weeks is a long time to be driving up and down the Hume Highway.”

The VAFA could only manage two goals in the second half as Country put on a show on the soggy Queen Elizabeth Oval, with O’Hara bagging two goals in the 62-point rout.

Victoria Country claimed all three games, with the B-grade and under-19 teams also enjoying convincing wins.

“It was a great day for Victorian Country football,” Knights said.

“What really stood out was the way the teams got around each other, the senior side with the reserves and the reserves with the under-19s.

“The preparation and commitment was all there and it showed, our boys were all hungry to win and hungry to compete.

“We adapted to the conditions a bit better as well, the ground held up really well and we used the ball effectively despite how wet and slippery it was.

“We got a fitting reward for what was a total team effort, everyone on the ground contributed in some way.”