Twelve months ago as she reflected on winning the North Tamworth ladies league tag best and fairest for the second straight year, Steph Halpin was on the countdown to one of the most monumental moments in her life.
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In just a couple of months she and wife Yedda were expecting their first child.
Fast forward a year, they are the doting parents of a daughter, Halle, and Halpin is celebrating her third best and fairest win in as many years.
The No.9 cleaned up the ladies league tag major awards at the Bears' presentation night on Friday night, also winning the players' player, alongside Tayla King. She was also their highest tryscorer, and the leading tryscorer for the club.
Humbled by the accolades, Halpin attributed her success to her team-mates.
"You can only do something like that when you've got a good calibre players around you and that sort of thing, so I was very lucky and well supported by the Bears girls," she said.
The best and fairest award is named in honour of Archie Byrnes, who tragically died in a car accident in 2018.
"I've been lucky enough to win it three times in a row which is great and Luke, his dad, has always been a really great supporter of mine and the first one to come up and congratulate me," Halpin said.
"I think it's a very special award not just for me, but for him as well."
It is too of the awards the one that she probably takes the most satisfaction from.
"Best is great but fairest, that's the thing that really resonates with me. I pride myself on not only being a great competitor but being fair in the process of doing so because that's what sports about, that's what good sports about," she said.
Her third season with the Bears, Halpin said she felt like she "had a real purple patch" this year.
"Every time I jumped on the park, I felt really confident. I felt like I always had opportunities everywhere. And that's a good feeling, you don't get that all the time," she said.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get the result in the grand final that we wanted, but we still matched it with them, it was an excellent game.
"But that's sport for you isn't it? You win some, you lose some, no matter how good you play."
In welcome words for Bears supporters', she is planning to go around again next year.
"I can't come off a season like that and hang up the boots," she joked.
"Yeds always says to me so you giving it away?".
"[But] It's such a great club to be a part of and I've had a great season and I feel like I've got a little bit more to offer and while I've still got that I need to probably use it."
She added: "This is what keeps me going, the sport, the competitiveness, having goals to work towards.
"And along with mixing that with family and friends and work, that's a really good life to live be to be honest."
One of her big goals, is qualifying for next year's Iron Man World Championships.
Halpin just missed out on a spot this year after placing sixth in her age division.
"So that's what I'm going back to try and attack," she said.
About a six month process to get race ready, she'll get into serious training for that after the touch State Cup in December.
Her first priority though is the Tamworth Touch Association's invitational mixed tournament this weekend.
Weather permitting, it is shaping up to be a good carnival.
"It's a nice little mini carnival for our guys here in town, and we've got a couple of out of town teams so it's slowly building and it's a nice little hit out," she said.
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