Gallery | Old Students rattle past Kyabram in a monumental Haisman Shield victory for the Kialla residents

Defending 230 against the reigning premier, there was certainly no guarantee the Students would pull off a result at home.

But to bowl the Redbacks out for 150? That was priceless in Gagliardi’s eyes.

“The most satisfying part was going in with a real strong game plan that we’d backed ourselves to execute and we did,” he said.

“We’ve sort of had mental lapses throughout the year in games but from ball one, we really kept up the fight and stuck to our plan which is a tribute to the playing group.

“They had a great day with the ball, we didn’t drop a catch which obviously helps, but we dried up their runs which was important for us.”

Students started day two with a hiss and a roar as Kyabram’s Billy McLay departed for five, but the Redbacks soon tugged back as Ethan Hart and Alec Young got to work.

The pair pushed their side past 50 but Young (14) was first to go at 2-54 and Hart (36) joined him in the sheds shortly after, leaving Kyabram careening ever so slightly at 3-58.

However, when the Mueller brothers hit the crease, anything can happen.

Cade and Kyle Mueller certainly anchored the innings for a period but the former was lured in by Jamie Carr, walking for 17 before Kyabram’s next three batters failed to reach double digits.

Kyle Mueller eventually holed out for 32 off Callan McCabe’s bowling and Students didn’t have to wait around for the final few dominoes to fall, leaving Redbacks’ playing coach Jackson McLay (18 not-out) on his lonesome.

Stringent bowling from McCabe resulted in tidy figures of 3-9 off nine overs, while James Meek, Liam Callegari and Carr each collected two poles apiece.

McCabe received a shout-out from Gagliardi in the wake of his performance, as did Students’ star batters following what he labels “the most complete performance for the year.”

“To have Sammy O’Brien get his highest score in A-grade, back-to-back 50s for Oscar (Lambourn) and then you’ve got Felix (Odell) and Cal (McCabe), we’ve got four guys in the top 20 run scorers,” Gagliardi said.

“We batted most of our 80 overs which was the target, it was a great effort. To get 230 on the board, that set us up, really.

“We’ve really changed the way we play cricket since our outright (defeat), we’ve changed our mindset which is again a credit to the playing group.

“We’re really confident that we can take it up to most teams, to be honest. We don’t really fear anyone, we’re playing with more freedom and playing a really attacking style of cricket.”

So, are Students turning a new leaf?

Gagliardi said yes, and to those who’ve followed along over the past few years, there’s only one thing left to do: watch this space.

“What we’ve started to do is start planning for next year as well and trialling a few things. We’re playing an exciting brand of cricket which is good,” he said.

“We’ve been in the doldrums for a lot of years, but people from within can actually see things turning around a bit.”