ST MARY'S reached the top of the NTFL's Men's Premier League for the 33rd time on Saturday night.
The 15.10 (100) to 10.5 (65) win after a slow start was the Saints' first senior flag since 2017 and 33rd since their formation in 1952.
The loss consigned Waratah to another year in the premiership wilderness, meaning the 2022-23 campaign will be the 23rd season a winning grand final pennant has not flown across Gardens Oval.
The Green Machine fell three goals behind in the first quarter of the 2021-22 premiership decider before a furious comeback saw them kick the next 11 goals to take an unassailable 37-point into the three quarter-time break.
Saints spearhead Jackson Calder won the Chaney Medal as the best player on the ground with his five goals after an intriguing battle with topline Waratah fullback Daniel O'Dwyer, three of those five goals coming in the decisive third quarter.
The turnaround began late in the first quarter when the brilliant Nick Yarran found Calder for his first goal.
That signalled a lift in the Saints' general play, including an airtight defence led by Kieran Parnell and Matt Green, the toughness of skipper Nate Paredes around the ball and skill of Justin Robinson, Josh Smithson and Aaron Heppell through the middle.
The win also signalled a breakthrough flag for popular St Mary's coach Anthony Vallejo, who went through the agony of grand final defeat in 2019 and last year before finally getting his hands around the TIO premiership cup.
"I'm just proud of the boys, we've had heartache for a while now so a win like this is a big reward for these blokes who are wearing the St Mary's jumper,'' Vallejo said.
"I told them at quarter time (12 points down) just to ease up a little bit, enjoy their footy and remember the confidence they got from the win over Nightcliff the week before.
"There's some very talented footy players out there in a green jumper and we just wanted them to play and express how they play the game at the same time and it worked out very well.''
Waratah was left to ponder a lift in intensity by their opponents they could not match despite all intentions being good.
Some inspirational play from Will Collis and skipper Brodie Carroll in the opening quarter when Collis thumped through the opening goal of the match from the 50 metre line and Carroll led from the front with some heavy work in the clinches looked to have set the red and whites on the road.
Kurtley Silver's snapped goal in the second term sent the red and white army in the stands into a frenzy, but the drop-off in possession numbers and Tahs jumpers chasing their rival's green colours must have begun to alarm coach Ryan Ayres.
"We started well, but we always knew St Mary's are a quality side and that they would come back at us,'' a disappointed Ayres said.
"When they did we just didn't fire a shot at them, the reason why I'm not too sure, maybe the week off hurt us in the end.
"But we've got no excuses, St Mary's were far too good for us.''