Geelong coach Mark Thompson says the Cats' three years of dominance in the AFL meant they thoroughly deserved to win a second premiership despite admitting his team was lucky to win Saturday's epic grand final against St Kilda at the MCG.

The Cats ensured St Kilda's 43 year premiership drought would go on for at least another year with a 12 point win in one of the best grand finals ever after they trailed at each of the first three changes, including by seven points at the last change.

But the Cats booted 3.4 to three behinds in the final term as the Saints - just like Geelong last year during their shock grand final loss to Hawthorn - paid a huge price for their inaccuracy as the Cats added the 2009 premiership to their 2007 success, which at the time ended 44 years of heartbreak for the AFL's only provincial club.

After winning a staggering 65 out of 75 games from 2007-09 - including Saturday's grand final win - the Cats now can be rightfully acclaimed as one of the greatest teams of all time having already won more games in a three year period than any other AFL club.

"We probably felt that it was only fair that we won another one," Thompson said after the game when reflecting on his team's epic three year journey.

"There was a lot of pressure with everyone expecting us to win another one and that if we only won one out of three (grand finals) then that probably wasn't good enough."

"And I had been quoted as saying that to but that is not saying we can't win it next year or we won't be trying to or that our run is over because it's clearly not."

But Thompson admitted his team was lucky to get home against a gallant Saints side that came so close to winning only the club's second flag in the competition's 113 season history.

"They (St Kilda) have had an awesome season of footy and we were lucky to win the game and I very respectful of the St Kilda footy club," Thompson said.

But despite trailing at every change and indeed for most of the day; Thompson said he was always confident his champion team would prevail believing that the pain of last year's shock loss to Hawthorn - when the Cats self-destructed in kicking 11.23 - would hold the team in good stead on Saturday if the game was tight in the final quarter as indeed it was.

"I was confident at half-time (when the Cats trailed by six points) and I just threw the challenge out that it was game on in the conditions and after the year the St Kilda footy club have had, that it was always going to go down to the wire."

"We talked about how much we had to earn the victory and how much we were willing to put on the line to make sure that we did win."

"At three-quarter-time we said that we have played a lifetime of footy to get in this position so have your best quarter of footy possible and that this is what dreams are made of and I thought our last quarter was outstanding."

"I think it (the pain of losing last year's grand final) definitely did help because it's really painful to lose a grand final."

"And to get another chance to be in one so quickly as we did this year, well if you look back at history there aren't too many teams that lose two grand finals in a row."