Nick Franc helped take the Crows to that triumph in 1996, which completed a memorable back-to-back success in the Central Highlands Football League.

“It doesn’t feel like it was a long, long time ago,” Franc said.

“21 years is a long time, but it doesn’t seem that long.”

The victory came under captain-coach Peter Doherty, who won four league best and fairest awards in a glittering playing career.

Beaufort has reached just two senior grand finals – the most recent being a loss to Buninyong in 2002 – since the win over the Towners and will look to end the drought against Hepburn this weekend.

Franc, who played in the 1996 grand final win alongside brothers Matt and Richard, said he’s keen to hand over the baton as the club’s most recent premiership player.

“I want to get rid of it,” Franc, a former under-18, reserves and senior coach at Beaufort, said.

“It would be good if we just won one because there’s a good bunch of blokes now and we’ve got a really good coach and group. And they probably deserve to win one.

“It’s been long enough… it’s been long enough, 21 years.”

One of Franc’s teammates in 1996 was David Dawson, who came back to the club just in time for the success.

“It was fantastic to go back-to-back. You can never take away a premiership from a player and we still enjoy getting together for reunions and still that camaraderie exists to this day,” Dawson, who is now vice president of the club, said.

“I’m hopeful that on Saturday that the camaraderie can exist amongst the 45 players across the reserves and seniors that are competing.”

Beaufort president Brien Leckie is hoping for a rare double on Saturday, with the club in both the seniors and reserves football deciders.

“It’ll be a massive weekend regardless, but obviously you want to bring the trophies home. That’s why everyone does what they do – for this weekend,” he said.