The Belconnen Magpies were in dire straits with their premiership dreams hanging by a thread.
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In desperate need of a clutch play as they stared down the barrel of a straight sets exit for the second consecutive year, it was always going to be one man who stood tall.
Beau Walker took a crucial contested mark to win back the momentum and ultimately send the Magpies to the AFL Canberra grand final.
Magpies player-coach James Bennett says it was a play "very few" in the competition could pull off.
Then again, very few can say they are two-time Mulrooney Medallists.
Walker claimed his second Mulrooney Medal as AFL Canberra's best and fairest in three years on Monday night.
It capped off a huge night for the club with Maggie Gorham winning the Bainrot Medal as the women's competition's premier player.
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It kicks off a huge week with Belconnen's senior men's and women's sides joining their second grade team in grand finals at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
"The way he attacks the footy, no one in the competition can stop him," Bennett said.
"When we just needed a really clutch play, he was the one to do it, and it was a really good contested mark.
"That's something very few guys in the competition can do and Beau stood up for us.
Walker's Mulrooney triumph marks the sixth time in seven years a Belconnen player has claimed the competition's highest individual accolade.
Former Queanbeyan Tiger turned Canberra Demon Kel Evans won the award last year - but prior to that Belconnen had a mortgage on the prize.
Walker won it in 2017, Bennett in 2016 and 2013, Isaac Taylor in 2015 and Shane Harris in 2012.
Walker, Bennett and Taylor will join forces in search of premiership glory against an Ainslie Tricolours outfit hunting a fourth consecutive title this weekend.
"We were pretty good against Ainslie [in the major semi-final] but we weren't good enough," Bennett said.
"We only lost by four goals and gave up a few easy ones, so we're not far off.
"You can only take good things out of a win like that [against Queanbeyan in the preliminary final] so the boys will be confident.
"I know our best footy is never far away from us."
Belconnen's women's side will face the Queanbeyan Tigers to close out grand final day with the latter desperate to avenge last year's heartbreak in the decider.
AFL CANBERRA AWARD WINNERS
Mulrooney Medal - Beau Walker (Belconnen Magpies)
Bainrot Medal - Maggie Gorham (Belconnen Magpies)
Men's 2nd Grade Best and Fairest - Luke McGilvray (Belconnen Magpies)
Rising Stars Men's Best and Fairest - Hunter Howden (Marist College) and Joshua Fahey (Queanbeyan Tigers)
Kevin Neale Leading Goal Kicker - First Grade Men's - Hayden Armstrong (Ainslie Tricolours) 46 Goals
Leading Goal Kicker - Second Grade Men's - Joseph Kerin (Eastlake Demons) 43 Goals
Leading Goal Kicker - First Grade Women's - Jacqueline Parry (Queanbeyan Tigers) 53 Goals
Leading Goal Kicker - Rising Stars Men's - Angus Tarpey (Ainslie Tricolours) 42 Goals
Club Championship - Seniors - Queanbeyan Tigers
Bird Stirling Umpire of the Year - Tim O`Shea
Rebecca Goddard Award - Scott Gurney
Ray Chamberlain Emerging Umpire Award - Joshua Dunstall
Russell Taylor Scholarship - Jacob Davill
Best First Year Men's Footballer - Lachlan Squire (Queanbeyan Tigers)
Best First Year Women's Footballer - Catherine Brown (Eastlake Demons)
Player of the Year Men's - Beau Walker
Player of the Year Women's - Maggie Gorham
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
