Dooley's blunt message that inspired Renegades

Throughout Melbourne Renegades’ Weber WBBL|10 campaign that culminated in their maiden triumph at the MCG on Sunday, there was a clear message to the group hanging in every dressing room they entered: 'Don't f*** it up'.

Josie Dooley had the blunt, yet effective, command printed on the back of her Renegades playing shirt, which was then hung up as a reminder to her teammates at every game the club played around the country on their journey to the final.

Dooley, who suffered a stroke while on an off-season surfing holiday in Hawaii in April, stayed close to the group this tournament, and was on stage with her teammates as they lifted the trophy following their seven-run victory over Brisbane Heat in the decider.

Her story, and that of fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, who was ruled out of this tournament with yet another serious injury, heightened emotions on an already historic day for the club, who made a remarkable resurgence after finishing on the bottom of the table last season.

The long-awaited win was also reward for the loyalty of the Renegades' two remaining members of their inaugural WBBL|01 squad – captain Sophie Molineux and close mate Georgia Wareham – who have both endured their own lengthy stints on the sidelines with ruptured ACLs in recent years.

"It means an enormous amount, both for the club, for the players, the organisation," an emotional coach Simon Helmot said after the match.

"Anytime you get to win a final in any competition around the world, it's special, and as you grow older in age, it's even more important.

"But it's more so the people they work with, and the stories that we've got this season – 'Wolfie' (Wareham) and Soph, just being so much a part of this club … they're 25, 26 (years old) now and nearly half of their lives have been invested in Melbourne Renegades.

"Josie Dooley, what happened with her in the off-season ... she came to all the important games, came to our Junction games, came to Allan Border Field.

"And I just said, 'Jose', we need you here for the team meeting yesterday, and she turns up.

"There's a shirt in the rooms which has a message from Jose.

"It’s more than just the game. It's about people and their trials and tribulations, it just means something."

Molineux missed the entirety of that disappointing WBBL|09 season – where the Renegades won just two of their 14 games – as she continued to rehabilitate the ACL she had ruptured during the previous tournament.

She, Helmot and Wareham, along with player of the final Hayley Matthews, were four of the key architects of the Renegades' revival this season, both on and off the field.

The skipper said the win was still sinking in as she spoke to media after the game, taking a brief break from signing autographs and posing for selfies with the Renegades faithful.

Molineux had presented Dooley with her WBBL|10 playing top at Allan Border Field ahead of the Renegades' second game of the season.

Dooley also delivered a speech to the group during that visit to Brisbane – which concluded with the line she later had printed on that same shirt.

"Seeing Josie after the game, she's just everything that the Renegades are about," Molineux said.

"It's Josie to a tee, she's so inspirational, not just to us that know her, but to anyone that knows her story, and for her to be as involved as what she could be this season for us, just to have her presence and being around, she's just as much a part of this season as any other season she's been around.

"She's a true inspiration. She's Renegades heart and soul as well."

Molineux is a two-time T20 World Cup winner with Australia, and said lifting her first WBBL trophy was right up there among her career highlights.

"I think about this club, I think about the people behind it and there's so many really special people that have been there for me along the journey," she continued.

"It's just so nice to be able to share an experience like this with them, and just to see James (Rosengarten), our GM after the game and seeing him a bit emotional, this means so much to them, which makes it mean a lot to me as well.

"We've had a few really bad seasons, and to be able to turn that around, and to be able to do it the way we have, it's been enjoyable.

"I feel really proud, and it's been a great season."

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder beat Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Thunder by nine wickets

The Final: Melbourne Renegades Women win by seven runs (DLS method)

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