![GGGM best and fairest runner-up Matt Hamblin with winner Ben Walsh. Picture from GGGM Lions. GGGM best and fairest runner-up Matt Hamblin with winner Ben Walsh. Picture from GGGM Lions.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179282453/6f17ed0b-6d50-43c3-a051-75aa47e4ac17.jpeg/r0_0_3024_4032_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong premiership winning captain Ben Walsh has topped off a fantastic year for the Lions after winning his second best and fairest at the club.
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The accolade adds to an impressive list of achievements that Walsh has collected this season including being named on the half back flank in the Riverina League Team of the Year as well as a third place finish in the Jim Quinn Medal.
Walsh also kicked the final goal of the game in the Lions premiership win over Collingullie-Glenfield Park and said it was a great honour to receive the award.
"It definitely means a lot," Walsh said.
"It probably hasn't sunk in completely as I'm still getting over the premiership win on Saturday.
"It's one of those things that I will probably look back on down the track, just knowing the group that we had this year was outstanding across the board.
"We had five or six blokes that could have easily had their name on the medal and there wouldn't be no surprises.
"It will be one of those things that I look back on at the end of my career and I'll be pretty proud of it."
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Walsh finished with 131 votes to narrowly edge out Matt Hamblin who finished on 126 which is a incredible feat from the young midfielder considering he missed six games in the middle of the season through injury.
Ruckman Jacob Olsson was third with George Alexander and Jesse Lander rounding out the top five.
Although already having won a best and fairest in the past, Walsh said this one means a lot more due to the success of the Lions this season.
"I won back in 2017," he said.
"It was a bit of a different circumstance, I think we only won two games that year and finished second last.
"So definitely a bit more special this time around winning one in a premiership year."
As he has mentioned a couple of times this year, Walsh said his ability to play the way he does is largely due to the selfless actions of the remaining five Lions defenders.
"I was pretty fortunate with my role down back," he said.
"Being able to attack and play really positive footy down there and that's off the back of a few others like my brother (Josh Walsh) who did a lot of the lock down roles.
"It was nice to get a fair bit of the footy this year and hopefully my body can stay together and we will do it all again next year."
Walsh is looking forward to next season and believes that the majority of the side has already re-committed as the Lions aim to go back-to-back.
"I think we have got the majority of the group now," he said.
"So it's pretty exciting going into next year with the same kind of premiership side."
In other awards from the evening, Jack Sase won the coaches award while Hamblin was named best in finals.
Club legend Bill Lucas who played game 350 late in the season was named the club person of the year and the Lions now eight-time premiership player Luke Walsh won the club contribution award.
Prue Walsh won the Lions A grade best and fairest after a fantastic year on the court that also included being named in the Netball Team of the Year and a second place finish in the Riverina League Medal.
Alice Anderson was presented with the Lyric Shield as netball club person of the year.
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