Familiar GF story

“We were here last week, and just to see her finish off with the grand final, it’s just fantastic,” Long said.

“She’s surpassed me, but we’re so proud of her. We’re a close-knit family, and a football family.

“As you do with all your nieces and nephews, you’ve got to support them.”

Long said there was no family secret to grand final success, but acknowledged his relatives’ ability to deliver on the game’s biggest stages.

“I don’t know if it’s in their blood or what,” he laughed.

“Danielle has worked very hard to get to where she is.”

Fellow Crow Jasmyn Hewett, who kicked a goal for the winners, also spent time at St Mary’s in the NTFL but took a slightly different path to premiership glory to Ponter.

The 2020-21 Gwynne medallist returned to the Crows after being delisted in 2019, which saw her play for Gold Coast and then later opt out of the 2021 AFLW season to focus on work in Darwin with the Motor Accident Commission.