Coach Adam Bettridge said his team understood that the moment they hoisted the premiership shield in September was the moment that expectations surrounding the team would change for all of season 2018.

“It’s very easy to sneak under the radar when you go to a ground and there’s not that expectation to have success,” Bettridge said.

And as any team knows, flying under the radar is the first step to staging an ambush.

“But when you win competitions, you become the hunted, so we understand that we’re going to be targeted,” he said.

Not that winning the competition is all bad news.

Bettridge said the club had earned the right to savour its shock 24-6 grand-final win over Wests.

He said the club also continued to see the benefits that flowed from its success, such as sponsorship support and its ability to attract and sign new players.

But not all of the benefits can be quantified.

“Just the happiness that it put through the community… to see the smiles that it put on the faces of the players and their families, and to see grown men crying on the day, and back at the club… it’s a memory that I will never forget, and one that I will cherish for ever.”

Bettridge said having 12 local juniors in the premiership-winning squad also sent a message.

“It’s a very happy place when you can have 12 juniors win a grand final,” he said.

“It shows the other clubs that you mean business with your plan, and what you’re doing moving forward.”

Bettridge went further, and said winning the grand final had implications for Toronto that transcended sport.

“I believe that in a community like this, if your football team is doing well, it often breeds positivity throughout your community,” he said.

“Rugby league is a funny tool. It keeps kids out of trouble and gives people something to look forward to at the weekend. We believe that if we can provide that here at Macquarie then we’re going a long way towards helping the community out.”

It’s a community that Bettridge enjoys being part of: last month he re-signed to coach Macquarie until the end of 2020.

“I’m really enjoying it,” Bettridge said of his role in charge of the Scorpions.

“I really like the place. Whenever I’m [coaching] in Newcastle, I want to make this home.”

Bettridge hinted that he had aspirations to one day coach at a higher level.

“There is a bigger goal to move forward but, at the moment, this suits me and my family. I’m really enjoying my time out here.”

Macquarie will host Lakes United at Lyall Peacock Field in Round 1 on Saturday, April 21.