Often you learn more about a club and its players when they lose, rather than when they win.

The Noosa Dolphins have won much more frequently than they have lost in the past 20 years so what happened to them on Saturday was going to show what their rugby club was really like.

Would they accept defeat graciously if it happened?

Or would they be sour their record of making the A-grade grand final every year since 1986 was over?

The answer, and comprehensively so, was the former.

Missing out by three points to the Nambour Toads would have been bitterly disappointing for the Dolphins.

As far as disappointing losses though, it would rank alongside being beaten in a close grand final.

But, even though there were some sad faces to be seen, they were gracious in defeat.

There was no disappearing from the ground without congratulating the winners and no bitching to the paper about refereeing decisions which may have changed the course of the game.

They took defeat as all of us should.

There was also a lesson on Saturday about how wins should be celebrated.

Some of the lads at Toad Manor, and to be fair to Nambour it was only a small group of spectators, should receive a quiet word in the ear from club officials about graciousness.

Running on to the playing field at fulltime and getting in the face of a beaten opposition player is not funny and it’s not good form.

The only thing it can create is some retaliatory anger if you pick the wrong target.

Sure, be happy about ending a rival’s great run, but there’s no need to rub their faces in it.

So what we have now is a Sunshine Coast grand final that no-one has seen before. No Noosa and no Maroochydore, it’s Nambour against University.

Well done to both clubs for putting together playing lists and coaching staff to finally end the two powerhouses’ domination of club rugby.

A competition is always better for variety.

The Noosa or Maroochydore GF scenario had gone on for too long, but had only existed because those clubs were more professional than the others and had a knack of developing high-quality juniors as well as attracting some new faces from outside the Coast.

Both the Toads and the Barbarians deserve their first A-grade premiership.

Nambour because it has consistently been the third best club in the Coast premiership and Uni because it was unlucky to miss out in the classic 2006 decider.

The Stingrays-laden Barbarians forward pack looks to be a real strength so I’m going for them to triumph in a close one.

I hope the winners and losers on Saturday behave as they should.