The midfielder joined the Saints at the start of the season and has been as influential as any player in helping the club to a second consecutive grand final.

Clyne, 19, said he had found the competition pretty tough across the board.

“It’s very even,” he said.

“Every week you have to turn up and play because the competition is so close.”

It took a call from Saints president Roger Sordello to get Clyne – who grew up in the Wimmera – to the club.

“Roger pretty much talked me into it,” he said.

“I had a few mates here in Jacob O’Beirne and Gavin Kelm, so I knew a couple of the blokes already.

“I’ve loved playing at the Saints – it’s a good club with a good group of blokes.”

Clyne’s journey back to the Wimmera and to Coughlin Park has been an interesting one.

“I lived here until grade six and then went to Mildura for about six years,” he said.

“I started playing in Mildura and then went down to Ballarat for a year with the North Ballarat Roosters development side.”

The hard-running Saints midfielder spent two seasons with TAC Cup-side Bendigo Pioneers and was part of the Greater Western Sydney academy.

Clyne played alongside the likes of now-AFL players Taylor Adams, Collingwood, Adam Tomlinson, GWS, and Jack Hombsch, Port Adelaide, for the GWS reserves side in a North East Australian Football League game in mid-2012.

His focus now is on helping the Saints bring home a maiden Wimmera league premiership.

Equally adept at winning the ball on the inside or using it by foot on the outside, Clyne has arguably been best afield in the Saints’ two finals victories this season.

Clyne’s addition to the Saints’ on-ball brigade, alongside the likes of Nathan Clough and Pat Knott, has been more than welcome.

Clyne was named the Saints best five times in 15 home-and-away games.

He expects another massive challenge when the club meets Horsham for a fourth time this season on Saturday.

“We’ve got good depth and we match up pretty well,” he said.

“We have a pretty even side so I reckon we’ll go pretty well against Horsham.”

Clyne highlighted Demons Jordyn Burke, Nick Pekin and Joel Geue as three players the Saints would need to shut down.

Clyne, a premiership player with Wentworth in the Sunraysia league in 2012, said he understood how much a premiership would mean to his new club.

“There’s obviously other blokes here who have played a lot longer for the club – and guys like Roger – it would mean a lot to them,” he said.