He is the poster boy of the Canberra Demons' resurgence and now Mitch Maguire has emerged as the club's greatest AFL draft hope as he edges closer towards claiming the NEAFL's most valuable player award.
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He did his chances no harm with 31 disposals and six tackles but Maguire couldn't halt a second-half fadeout as the Canberra Demons fell to a fourth-straight defeat against the Aspley Hornets at Phillip Oval on Saturday.
The 11.16 (82) to 7.10 (52) loss means the Demons are now staring down the barrel of a sudden death finals showdown on the road against Sydney University next week.
Maguire had polled the most votes for the NEAFL's most valuable player award before voting went behind closed doors after round 16, with the league awards night being held on Sunday.
His 71 votes put the former Greater Western Sydney academy player three points clear of Aspley's Matthew Payne - the Hornets on-baller he went toe to toe with in the final round.
The Canberra midfielder has more teammates than people in his hometown and he says a premiership medal would feel much better around his neck than the league's most prized individual honour.
But Demons player-coach Kade Klemke - while hoping for the best - fears an indifferent fortnight may count against Maguire.
"I think the last two weeks probably didn't do him much good," Klemke said.
"He's had a great year, for a guy that young, he's going up against Payne and guys that are pretty experienced. He'd be red-hot for Rising Star too.
"We're hoping for the best but I don't think the two weeks before has done him much good, but he did really well."
Maguire isn't the only Demon in the running for an award come Sunday night.
The in-form MVP candidate is one of a staggering five Rising Star nominees on Canberra's books this season alongside Alex Paech, Mitch Hardie, Angus Baker and Jarrod Osborne.
No other club can even lay claim to four Rising Star nominees - three is the next best tally, racked up by fellow premiership contender Sydney University.
Maguire could become Canberra's first NEAFL MVP, two years after Jordan Harper finished second by one vote to Aspley's Payne.
Belconnen produced two Mulrooney medallists during the club's time in the NEAFL in James Bennett and Shane Harris, before Canberra clubs began their exodus from the state league.
If he claims the gong, there will be cause for celebration when Maguire returns home on the second Saturday in October.
Maguire grew up on a 300-acre farm just a few hundred metres out of Mirrool in the Riverina, about 258 kilometres north-west of Canberra, where his family operates a school bus run and trains harness racing horses.
That day in October is etched into country footy folklore as players, celebrities, and farmers gather to punt a football over the 30-metre high Mirrool grain silos.
The post-season pilgrimage has became an annual tradition since Geelong legend Billy Brownless belted a ball over the top of the silos in 1992.
Maguire has gone close to winning it before, but before his next attempt he could be in line to claim a much bigger prize.
