NOTHING could wipe the smile off the face of Balranald young gun Hannah Morton as she took out this season’s inaugural Julie Wardle Medal.
“I’m a little bit lost for words but I just didn’t think that I would ever do it,” Morton told The Guardian.
“I’m pretty proud of myself — it’s pretty surreal.”
The 19-year-old polled 27 points at the Central Murray League vote count held on Monday night, beating Woorinen’s Tessa Demaria by just two votes, the final result being decided in the last round.
Morton has played the majority of her netball with the Roos, having been a part of their A Grade side since she was just 14 years old.
“I’ve got a couple of club best-and-fairests under the belt (including this year’s), and I’ve had a few invites to the league vote count before, but nothing as good as this,” she said.
The defender has been a dominant force in the Roos’ back end over the course of the season, with her never-ending energy and ability to read the play making life difficult for the shooters she came up against.
“Back in Under 13s, my coach chucked me the shooting bib for one quarter and said ‘Righto, have a turn’ — she watched me miss 90 per cent of the goals and then said ‘Nah, you can stick to defending’,” Morton said with a laugh.
“I do joke around with Jess (Parry) and say ‘Go on, give us the GA bib’, or I’ll warm up on actual game day with the GA bib on.
“But I wouldn’t trade defending for the world.”
Netball is a sport that Morton is very passionate about and something that she simply loves doing week in week out.
“I love the social atmosphere and just getting around there with the girls and having a bit of a laugh when we can, even when we are down,” she said.
“I even look forward to training.”
And while she’s not exactly sure where she will be next year, there is a good possibility she will be donning the blue and white for another season.[BREAKOUT]
JULIE WARDLE AWARD
JULIE Wardle is a name that is synonymous with the Central Murray Netball League.
And now her name is even better recognised, with the league renaming the A Grade Best and Fairest award to the Julie Wardle Medal in acknowledgement of her commitment to and accomplishments with the league over the years.
Wardle’s list of accolades is extensive, having been a club player, umpire and volunteer for more than 40 years. These achievements include:
* 9 x A Grade Central Murray League Best and Fairest
* 5 x A Grade Best and Fairest at Lake Boga FNC
* 4 x A Grade Best and Fairest at Swan Hill FNC
* 8 x A Grade Best and Fairest at Tooleybuc-Manangatang FNC
* 4 x A Grade Central Murray premiership player and coach
* Central Murray Open Interleague coach and player
* Central Murray Team of the Year and Team of the Decade (2011-20)
* Central Murray Netball Board of Management
* Central Murray Identity of the Year (2013)
