Survival was the modus operandi for the club in its second season back in the top flight and that was achieved in the penultimate round with a one-shot win over Rosamond, allowing it to enter last Sunday's home clash with Essendon without fear of relegation.

"We were fairly happy with that win as it keeps us up in the premier league," Cowan said.

"We knew it was going to be tough to survive because we don't pay players, so somewhere between fifth and eighth we would be pretty happy."

As it turned out, the status quo remained in Victoria's No.1 division.

The two teams, which came up this summer, went down.

"It's not an easy division to stay up in," Cowan said.

The greatest aspect of Sunbury's season was its willingness to place its faith in the young brigade.

Michael Vesikko, Dion Dean and Brad Willoughby underlined their potential to be stars of the game.

"They're the ones that need to continue to step up in the coming years," Cowan said.

"They all play at group level so the next step should be aiming for the Victorian under-25s.

"They're not that far away."

Sunbury has also promoted three girls to play in the top side.

Elise Cowan, Chloe Stewart and, on the final day of the season, Michelle Dick gained invaluable experience on the greens in the premier class.

"It's a unique situation," Cowan said.

"It's good for their bowls.

"They now know they can play at that level."

Cowan praised the efforts of player-coach Graeme Bridge who had a huge influence over the progress of the club's rising stars.

The team's survival was based on the efforts of all 16 players.