Sophie Hanrahan clinched her third Toni Wilson Medal for 2023 best A Grade netballer on Monday night – sharing the Ovens and Murray league’s highest individual award with Lavington’s Maddi Lloyd with 19 votes.
Playing for Myrtleford this season, Sophie, 25, has now equalled the most Toni Wilson awards, having won the top award in 2018 and 2019 when playing for Corowa.
“I still can’t believe it! It’s an absolute honour. I’m in very good company,” Sophie told The Free Press. “Out of the three this is the nicest, to share it with Maddie.
“It was really lovely that Toni presented the award and for me to be associated with the high standard of other players.”
With Corowa’s senior football and netball teams not playing in 2023, it meant a change for Sophie and what a year it was.
“It’s definitely my home away from home,” she commented about Myrtleford. “It’s a community club with many volunteers. I felt at home. They’re on the way up with a great culture.”
The versatile Sophie enjoyed playing both ends of the court for Myrtleford, swapping positions with Bec Piazza.
Sophie missed the last four O and M games as she represented Collingwood in the Australian Netball Championships, helping Collingwood to a gold medal.
She loved seeing the Corowa contingent at the SS&A Club on Monday. “It was so cool being with ‘Kiwi’ (club president Graham Hosier), Ro (secretary Rowena Black) and Kylie (Greig, coach), and hearing of other award winners from Corowa (Wang Rovers Rylie Allan league’s Under 18 best and fairest), Cam Wilson MVP Yarrawonga and Justin Lewis Rising Star Nomination Wang Rovers and Kiara Corkett (MVP C Grade Corowa),” she said.
The Corowa Football Netball Club President described Sophie’s third Toni Wilson Medal as “‘a fantastic effort”. “She’s had a fantastic year, in the O and M and also with Collingwood,” Mr Hosier said.
Club secretary Rowena Black said Sophie has continued to improve with her athleticism and is so thoroughly deserving of her third league medal.
“We are grateful she continued to support Corowa with her coaching of juniors,” the recently made Roos Life Member said.
Sophie now shares the most Ovens and Murray’s Toni Wilson Medals with North Albury’s Emily Browne, who won the 2022 medal, and Lindy Gunson from Myrtleford, who was the inaugural winner in 1993.