On home turf, Waka lost 24-21, a missed last-minute penalty meaning they failed to take the game into extra time, a week after they beat Alex in their backyard, 27-0.
"Fair credit to Alex, they played out of their skin," coach Jordan Manihera says, "and you know they’ve got a few very experienced campaigners in there who’ve played some finals footy before.
"At the end of the day it was a good learning curve for some of the younger boys that will be involved with the club for many years.
"One thing we spoke about in the changing room after was just to remember this moment because, at the end of the day, finals footy, you’re either on the good side or the bad side, unfortunately it just wasn’t our day and unfortunately we just ran out of time to try and recoup that."
Manihera also thinks his players were "a bit intimidated by the whole occasion", and says Alexandra’s fervent supporters "probably helped them get over the line a bit".
At the same time, he maintains it was still a good season for the team and the club. "We ended up with obviously the Battle of the Basin trophy at Arrowtown, we earned the Speight’s Jug back, and then to also lock in the White Horse Cup for the first time since 2013, we’re pretty happy.
"Obviously, that wasn’t our goal at the start of the year — those are nice-to-haves — but to have them locked away for the summer, we’re pretty proud of that."
Manihera says he and his 2IC, Kapa Te Rangi Moeke, were also "really stoked" the players bought into their game plan.
"Kapa and I have got another year, and we’ve learnt a hell of a lot as new coaches, and to get some sort of silverware in our first season, we’re pretty happy with that."
