WITH a championship in hand and a smile on his face, an emotional Hornets coach Barry McTaggart announced his retirement from `serious coaching' on Saturday.

McTaggart, 65, said he had been in a no-win situation taking over from legendary coach Owen Hughan mid- season.

"Either we were going to lose and people would say we would have won with Owen or we win and people say Owen did the ground-work, which he did, it is his team," McTaggart said.

"I am just so relieved we won and we did it with the thing I believe is most important - defence."

McTaggart said he loved coaching the Hornets and was close with many of the players.

"I have known a lot of the boys since they were very small. I coached some of them as juniors," he said.

"Coaching is a young man's game. I will still play a role at the club and I will still coach at junior level.

"But you look at what happened to Owen and it makes you think."

McTaggart said he hoped assistant coach Steve Bruce would take control of the Hornets next season.

Seeking inspiration before their all- important grand final match, Horsham Hornets players visited former coach Owen Hughan on Saturday afternoon.

Hughan coached the side until mid- season when he had a stroke and had to leave the team.

Hornets star Liam Norton said the visit to Hughan's home had made all the difference.

"It was awesome," Norton said.

"Owen took us into his pool room where he has all the pictures of championship Hornets teams and Australian teams.

"He then spoke to us about what it takes to win a championship, about the simple things. He was pretty emotional.

"I think it focused us and when we got to the stadium we were all business."

Hornets guard Rhys Hughan, Owen's son, said his dad had enjoyed the visit.

"He was a bit emotional about it. I gave him a call after the game and he was very relieved we had won, he was happy for the team," he said.