Battling an ankle ligament injury suffered in the quarter-final win over Southbridge, Clark had been told by a doctor he would be out for “three to six weeks”.
But he returned after just two weeks and put in an 80-minute performance as Waihora beat Ashburton Celtic 25-23 away from home for their first title in seven years.
“We’ve finally done it,” Clark said.
“It’s been a long time coming, so it was bloody awesome.”
The 25-year-old made the call to play after training on Thursday, saying it would be “hard to miss” a game of this stature, especially with the added personal milestone.
“You always want to try to do everything you can do to play,” he said.
“I didn't even feel it, with the adrenaline rush of being out there.”
Clark was sporting heavy strapping on his right ankle and had the physio regularly checking on him, but pushed through to play the full 80.
His parents Darren and Jo, sister Janaya and grandparents, Shirley and Barry Blackmore were in the crowd, spurring Waihora to victory.
“They try and make every single game, I think that's what they look forward to on a Saturday, nana and granddad are pretty much the No 1 supporters so it's always good to have them in your corner,” Clark said.
“It was just an awesome feeling, especially after falling short the last few years.”
Clark made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2018, the same year Waihora last won the competition. They also went onto win Ellesmere's prized silverware, the Coleman Shield.
He aims to be part of the team for years to come.
“Hopefully get the 200 (appearances) next, and got eyes on the Coleman there.”
He said the ankle would be ready to go for Saturday’s Coleman Shield clash with Prebbleton at Waihora’s Rhodes Park.
“It's easy to do yourself up for a game like that,” he said.
