THE BID to go back-to-back in the AFL Fantasy competition for Selby Lee-Steere was on.
After 23 gruelling rounds, it all came down to the final game of the season. St Kilda was playing North Melbourne in a match that had no impact on the finals make-up, but two men in particular were extremely interested observers.
If Saints midfielder Seb Ross scored 123, Lee-Steere's 'Moreira's Magic' would be relegated into second place, with James Robinson's 'Shuey's Shockers' to take the lead.
It all came down to a last-minute kick to see Ross score 122, and amazingly, the two teams drew on 52,308 points.
A closer look at the rules showed the winner would be decided by who registered first, giving 'Shuey's Shockers' the victory, since Robinson signed up a couple of hours before Lee-Steere.
As a result, Robinson won a Toyota C-HR Koba AWD.
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However, Toyota ensured Lee-Steere's efforts were rewarded beyond the $10,000 he secured for finishing second.
Lee-Steere was handed an all-new Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid hatch by the AFL Fantasy sponsor, separate to the second-place prizing, to recognise his incredible season.
"We’re proud to support the AFL and their loyal AFL Fantasy fans," Toyota Australia chief marketing officer Wayne Gabriel said.
"We hope that James enjoys his top of the line C-HR, and we’re pleased that Selby is able to experience Toyota’s innovative self-charging hybrid technology in his all-new Corolla Hybrid. May these vehicles continue to drive your passion for the game."
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When asked about the nail-biting finish, Lee-Steere told the AFL Fantasy podcast "it's amazing how close it was".
"As much as it was exciting, I much preferred my 500-point win last year."
An unforeseen move by Robinson caught Lee-Steere off-guard.
"I thought he would go (Dayne) Zorko to (Matt) Crouch, which he did, so I went (Mitch) Duncan to Crouch, thinking I have a lead of 19 points and should that play out, then there's no way he can catch me," Lee-Steere said.
"But he went the Mitchell to Ross trade, which I didn't see coming."
Robinson explained his thinking behind the decision.
"I thought with how close the top 10 was that some coaches may have been conservative. I figured Tom Mitchell wouldn't have a great week and I thought I needed take a little bit of a risk to try and win something," Robinson said.
It got shaky in that final term.
"Seb Ross started off the game alright, but I was getting worried in the fourth quarter that he wasn't quite going to make it," Robinson said.
"He got a kick with 60 seconds to go that got me to the 122. I had worked out I needed 123 to get the win.
"It was pretty nerve-racking to be honest.
"I was getting pretty upset a few times when he was free and could have got a nice plus-six (for a mark and kick)."
As to whether Lee-Steere can accumulate the most points three seasons in a row, the man himself doesn't want to think about it just yet.
"I'm no mathematician, but the odds of winning it once is one in 130,000. Then twice, it's that times itself again," Lee-Steere said.
"It's a rare feat which may never happen again.
"I'll enjoy this while I can and not think about next year for as long as I can."
