By Tara Murray
Gisborne’s Maddy Stewart was thinking not again during the Bendigo Netball League’s Betty Thompson Medal count on Sunday night.
Having finished in the top three in previous years without taking out the league’s top honour, Stewart found herself in a usual position up the top of the leaders board.
But this time round, she wasn’t going to be the bridesmaid, taking out the medal for the first time.
It wasn’t until the second last round, the Stewart sealed the win. It was then a matter of whether she would win the medal, by herself or share it with Eaglehawk’s Ash Ryan.
Ryan polled two votes in the final round, to finish one vote behind Stewart, who finished on 23 votes.
Stewart was shocked to win the medal.
“I was thinking here we go, another second place,” she said.
“It’s a very big surprise and pretty special and I’m proud to win it.
“Personally though, I thought I had a better year last year. There’s so much talent in all the teams in the league that people were stealing votes off each other.
“Any one at the top could have won it”
Winning the medal, comes after Stewart was named in the Victorian Netball League championship division team of the year earlier this month.
Stewart said she was able to make the most of her opportunities.
“We were lucky enough to have quite a few players part of the ANL [Australian Netball League] program,” she said of her side Melbourne University Lightning.
“I got a little bit more of an opportunity to be on court than the last couple of years. We’ve had a similar team and we’ve been able to develop the connections and develop as a team.”
Stewart’s focus though has quickly turned to this weekend and the BNL grand finals.
Her A-grade side faces Sandhurst on Saturday.
“It’s been a good start to grand final,” she said. “It’s nice to win the medal, but it’s not what we play netball for.
“The last time we were in the grand final was 2013 and we won that one. The last five years we’ve been knocked out in the preliminary final.
“It was a relief to get to the grand final. It will be a hard slog and we will have to perform on the day.”
As well as captaining the A-grade side, she’s co-coach of the under-17 team which will also face Sandhurst on grand final day.
Sandhurst is undefeated this season.
“I’m so excited for them,” Stewart said.
“They have shown so much improvement and have had an awesome finals series, coming from fourth.
“We have said to the girls each week that they’ve got nothing to lose, and we’re confident they’ll be ready to go.”
In other awards, Gisborne’s Rylee Connell took out the A reserve best and fairest while Charlotte Crook was runners up in the under-17s.
In the football, Baxter Slater won the under-18 best and fairest.
