Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan will cherish his AFL premiership medal above his NBL grand final ring, but not solely on aesthetics.

Brogan created his own piece of sporting history by becoming the first athlete to play in grand final wins at the highest level in Australian Rules football and basketball, having won an NBL championship ring with the Adelaide 36ers in 1998.

While his championship impact was modest with the 36ers, he did much more than play out junk time at the MCG.

Instead he beat Brisbane's Clark Keating in the Power's 40-point premiership win.

He said he would value his part in Port's breakthrough higher because of the effort he had put in over the past five years, starting when he had a kick-to-kick session with coach Mark Williams in his basketball gear and a agreement was struck that Port would take a chance on the young man.

"The difference is I didn't have a big part in the NBL one," Brogan, 25, said.

"I was only 18 years old and I didn't get much court time through the finals and I didn't know what it was all about.

"It's so different, footy's full-on and it's 12 months of the year and you work so hard.

"You live, you sleep, you breathe footy all year and my girlfriend will tell you I'm an absolute pain in the arse through the year because it's all about football and this is what it's all about.

"I realise that and that's why I'm so speechless at the moment."

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