Mark Whiley proud of his Yarrawonga players after grand final fightback

The Pigeons were 26 points down at one stage but fought back to within a kick of the premiership.

"I'm shattered but proud to see the ticker on the boys to come back like we did," Whiley said.

"Wangaratta were too good in the end and that's footy.

"They're a super team and we knew they were going to be hard to beat.

"But hopefully that performance showcases our character; that's all you can hang your hat on."

Whiley was among the Pigeons' best players as they delivered a resurgent second half display, eventually falling just three points short..

"We just weren't playing our brand so we needed to get back to that," he said.

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"We were a bit stagnant with our ball movement so we tried to get that going.

"I'm just super proud though.

"To see where the club's come from, as a whole, I couldn't be prouder."

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