The marquee players stood up as Dunedin rose from the dead in the second spell to win the club's 11th Speight's championship premier banner.
Dunedin scored 15 unanswered points in the second spell to beat Taieri 21-20 in front of 4500 spectators in the championship final at the Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
Taieri led 17-6 at the break and a Hayden Parker penalty goal stretched the lead to 20-6 after nine minutes in the second spell.
But the writing was on the wall because the Dunedin forwards were holding on to the ball and battering their way up field.
Hooker Sam Anderson-Heather led the charge with some bruising runs as he bumped his way through the defence.
He was like a battering ram as he asked questions of the defence and loosened Taieri's grip on the game.
He was backed by No 8 Gareth Evans and openside flanker Hugh Blake, as they made ground with the ball in hand.
Props Will Henry and Sean Smith joined in as the Dunedin forwards kept the ball in hand and took the game to Taieri.
In the first half, Dunedin kicked away too much ball and the fleet-footed Taieri backs relished the chance to run it back.
But Dunedin changed tactics in the second spell, had more discipline, held on to the ball and applied constant pressure.
Taieri captain Charlie O'Connell admitted that ''they hammered us, exploited us down the short side and scored a try''.
Blake who scored the decisive try after 16min in the second spell that put Dunedin back in the game. Liam Edwards' conversion from the sideline reduced the gap to seven points.
It sparked up the Dunedin team which believed it could win the game.
The Taieri momentum that had been evident in the first spell had stopped and the frustration mounted because players could not get their hands on the ball.
As the Taieri defence tired, Dunedin halfback Brad Weber was able to make breaks around the edges.
Taieri expected Weber to kick into the box and had a man placed in a defensive role. But it was outfoxed, as Dunedin held on to the ball.
The hard-tackling Blake and Evans also had defensive roles and stood in the midfield when Taieri had the ball, to stop breakouts through the centre.
An Edwards penalty goal after 19 minutes reduced the gap to four points and Dunedin took the lead for the first time when substitute winger Sione Pulu used his strength to score the winning try with 9min left.
Taieri attacked inside the Dunedin 22m in the last few minutes but Hayden Parker's dropped goal attempt in the last minute was half a metre too wide.
Taieri scored the first try after 7min in the first spell, when the forwards drove from a close lineout and prop Brett Anderson was driven over the line.
Quick-thinking openside flanker Willis Scott scored an opportunist try after 32min when he grabbed the ball when a penalty was awarded and ran 18m to score under the bar. Taieri led 17-6 at the break.
O'Connell and Scott were the best Taieri forwards and Hayden Parker, wing Shannon Young and midfield back Ben Nowell were the best of the backs.
Premier final
The scores
Dunedin 21
Hugh Blake, Sione Pulu tries; Liam Edwards con, 3 pen
Taieri 20
Willis Scott, Brett Anderson tries; Hayden Parker 2 con, 2 pen.
Halftime: Taieri 17-6.
