In the days after last year's heartbreaking two-point preliminary final loss to Gisborne, Golden Square's hierarchy sat down and identified what the club needed to take the next step in 2023.
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The Dogs had most bases covered, but there was one area they needed to restock and they knew the man they wanted to fill the void.
The player was Tom Toma.
The inside midfielder from Cohuna was number one, two and three on Square's recruiting chart.
Toma won best and fairests with the Bulldogs in 2015 and 2017 during his first stint with Golden Square and was a two-time BFNL representative player at inter-league level.
After playing in Golden Square's losing 2016 grand final team, the opportunity to win a BFNL premiership was a lure Toma, eventually, found too hard to resist.
He signed with the Bulldogs and the rest is history.
Individually, Toma had a brilliant season and, more importantly, on Saturday he helped the Dogs to their first flag in a decade when they defeated Sandhurst by one goal in the grand final.
"I sat down with (Golden Square football operations manager) Shawn McCormick at the end of last season and we had a chat about me coming back to the club,'' Toma said.
"Being a Cohuna boy it was really hard to leave my home club, but it's paid off and this makes it all worth it.
"We've got a special group and it's a great club."
It was Toma's first premiership in senior football. He previously played in two losing grand finals with Cohuna and the Square defeat in 2016.
"I had to lose three grand finals to win one,'' Toma said.
"I never imagined it would feel this good. I won't take it for granted because you just never know when the opportunity will come around again."
Toma averaged 28 possessions, one goal and six clearances per game in his return to the Dogs.
His grand final performance showed why the Bulldogs were so keen to regain his services - 25 possessions, 14 of which were contested, six clearances, one goal and four tackles.
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After finishing third in the Michelsen Medal in 2017, Toma was equal third in the award this year.
"At the start of the year you don't align yourself with those kinds of awards because it's all about team success,'' Toma said.
"I'll have time in the next few weeks to reflect on my individual season, but for now it's all about enjoying the team success with the boys."
Toma said coach Christian Carter deserved a lot of credit for Square's success.
"I love the bloke,'' Toma said of Carter.
"He's as genuine as they come and at the end of the day he's one of the boys.
"He has the group playing for him, which was showcased in the grand final.
"We'd do anything for him."
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