But after being the man to orchestrate Echuca’s first Goulburn Valley League premiership in 20 years, he said there had been no more satisfying moment than when the final siren sounded at Deakin Reserve on Sunday evening.
“This premiership win just means so much to me, it’s been five years in the making,” Walker said on the ground post-game.
“I retired from the AFL in 2016 and got straight into it coaching up here the next year and it has been the best move I’ve ever made.
“I have plenty of great moments in my football career, but for me this is just about the pinnacle. To win that elusive flag, it means so much.”
Coming into the match overwhelming favourites, Walker’s men were clinical in the opening minutes, piling on the first four goals to be well on their way to premiership glory.
But what the boys in bottle green and the entire crowd at Deakin Reserve didn’t bargain for was a Euroa response, with the Magpies clawing their way back into the contest and eventually taking the lead in the final term.
In a situation where most teams would roll over, Walker said his team’s ability to get back to its game plan was what got it over the line — something that filled him with complete joy.
“Credit to Euroa, it was just an absolute bloodbath out there. It was contested, it was tough, everything you love to see in grand finals,” Walker said.
“When you are under the pump, like we were in that last quarter, you have just got to go back to your game plan and we’ve got a really solid one.
“There was no panic, we just stuck to our structures and we came through with the goods.”
The victory also served as redemption for Walker and his Echuca teammates, who were beaten by the might of Kyabram back in the 2019 decider.
Having not had the chance to get back to the big dance until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walker said the tribulations of the past two years made the win all the more sweet.
“For us it’s a bit of redemption for both 2019 and against COVID-19 as well, because the last couple of years we’ve been shaping up pretty well, too,” he said.
“Thinking back to that game in 2019, we were underdogs and up against it playing a great Kyabram team.
“But we went in today with a lot more confidence, experience and belief that our game style would stand up and, fortunately, it did.”
