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Echuca co-coach Andrew Walker cherishes his ‘favourite’ year of football after winning GVL premiership
Andrew Walker may have played more than a decade at AFL level, but he’s labelled the 2023 season at Echuca his favourite year of footy.
He joked about waiting until his mid-30s to finally clinch a premiership, but could not hide the pure elation of the moment as his Murray Bombers reached the summit on Sunday.
“It’s literally why you play football, hey,” he said.
“From a year point of view, it’s probably the most enjoyable year I’ve ever had of football.
“But it took until one of my last years of football at 37 to capture that moment. It was awesome.”
Walker said when he first embarked on what turned out to be a glittering career with Carlton two decades ago, he thought a flag was imminent.
That was far from the case.
“I remember being the same age as Mitchy Wales and Smithy and those boys and thinking I’ll get a premiership at some stage,” he said.
“It took me till 36 and 37 to get them and they’re just as special as each other.
“It means the world to me; it’s a home away from home for me, it’s good to see your hard work and everything come together and get the reward for it, so it’s fantastic.”
But will we see Walker at Echuca next season?
“If I can get through Mad Monday we’ll see how we go,” he said, with a laugh.
“I’m really just going to embrace this moment for right now and that’s what I’ve told the club.
“I’m just going to embrace the fact that we’ve put six years into a product and into a team.
“It’s just a collective as we’ve all stayed together, so I just want to embrace that moment as it’s been a genuine journey.”