Pioneer have broken a 12-year premiership drought after defeating South in the Central Australian Football League grand final last Saturday.

The Eagles survived a late fightback to win 11.5 (71) to 9.12 (66) in a thrilling contest at Traeger Park.

It took until the final kick of the match for the contest to be decided, with South player Marcus Glen's shot on goal after the siren from 65 metres out falling short.

South looked the fresher team throughout a chaotic final term, but would ultimately rue missed opportunities in front of goal.

Pioneer star and former AFL player Matt Campbell felt mixed emotions while up forward, nursing an injured hamstring sustained during the third quarter.

"So many emotions were going through my head," Campbell said.

"One was to give it my all and go up the field and if the hamstring goes, it goes.

Phot: Charlie Lowson/AFLNT

"I sit back now and think that South kicking towards our home fans might have been a deciding factor in why they missed so many shots.

"Some kind of footy gods smiled down on me and gave me an opportunity to win my first

flag."

Jawoyn Cole-Manolis and Paul Campbell provided plenty of experience and composure around the midfield for Pioneer while Thomas Swan was influential with his run and carry.

Jackson Cole was a colossus in defence for Pioneer, stifling many of the opposition's attacking plays.

Campbell said rewarding strong training standards has led to positive changes at the club.

"In the past, Pioneer were known for scrambling around for players on the Saturday, but we made a really strong effort to reward players who had trained," he said.

"It's something that I've always dreamt of doing, something that I've seen my brothers and cousins do.

"Even though you go off and play at these higher levels, I've always said that winning one here would be the ultimate joy."

A 17-year-old Campbell won the 2004 Minahan Medal as the CAFL's best and fairest player before going on to an 82-game AFL career with North Melbourne.

He had a strong 2022 season for Pioneer, placing third in the Minahan Medal and kicking a match-winning nine goals in the elimination final win over Rovers a fortnight ago.

Campbell said more confidence in his body has led to his strong season.

"This is the best the body has felt in a long time and I've been able to train two or three nights a week this season," he said.

"I've also cut out a lot of alcohol and tightened up the diet a bit."

He said the passion to play football for Pioneer was a driving factor this season and certainly has no retirement plans just yet.

Pioneer have now won 32 premierships to be the most successful club in Central Australia.

Story by Jackson Clark