Grace Gill's heartbeat slowed as she imagined her free kick soaring into the back of the net.
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To visualise the goal is one thing, but to see it through is another.
And that's exactly what Gill does when it matters most.
A goal apiece to Gill and Brittany Palombi lifted Canberra Croatia to their first Canberra Premier League championship since 2017 and capped off the club's perfect season.
Croatia stunned Belconnen United with a 2-0 triumph in the NPLW final at Deakin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The win marks the final chapter in a remarkable season that saw Nik Brozinic's side go undefeated with 10 successive victories.
So after Belconnen's decade-long dynasty, the Croatia mentor hopes it propels the league into a new era of the checkered jersey.
"It's not going to be forever but there's a lot of success left in this team," Brozinic said.
"We've got a lot of experience in this side as well as youth coming through that's learning their stride from [them].
"We set two goals earlier in the season; the first was to win the minor premiership and the other was to go undefeated. Now we've achieved those and come away with the grand final, you couldn't ask for a better season. It's been flawless."
Croatia have now met Belconnen in six successive grand finals, with last year's heartbreak still fresh in their mind.
It's the story of redemption they had been chasing all season and their fairytale ending came down to just two set-plays.
In a telling sign of how close the powerhouse clubs came, both of Croatia's goal were scored from free-kicks as neither team could surpass the other's defensive play.
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"I think it really speaks to the strength of Belconnen. They're such a strong defensive side which we see year in, year out, they concede so few goals," Gill said.
"It's really hard to play around them. The fact we've got the likes of Britt [Palombi] who is a weapon on a free-kick and I love a free-kick in that area myself. So, [we were] really fortunate to get those opportunities and put them away. Just extremely happy with that."
Golden boot leader Palombi put Croatia ahead in the 6th minute when she smashed a free-kick home from the edge of the box.
Belconnen could have levelled the scores in the 35th minute when they were awarded a free-kick for a foul against Jamie Berkeley - but Catherine Brown curled the ball over the crossbar.
Croatia were denied a two-goal lead on the stroke of halftime when goalkeeper Jessica Giovinazzo pulled off a double save, with Sharon Chao having two attempts in a goal-mouth scramble.
Belconnen's Samantha Price botched an attempt from close-range in the second-half, leaving the Blue Devils left to rue what could have been when the volley went wide.
Gill put the result beyond doubt in the 74th minute when she sent a free-kick into the wind, with the ball curving into the top-left corner.
The 31-year-old midfielder was named Player of the Match for her clinical performance up front, but was humbly surprised by the honour.
"It feel a bit unexpected because I did a lot of running and it was one of the physical battles," Gill said.
"I'm pleased to come away with an award like that, I'm humbled by it."
AT A GLANCE
NPLW Capital Football final: CANBERRA CROATIA 2 (Palombi 6' Gill 74') bt BELCONNEN UNITED 0