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MINUTES after claiming the best on court medal following Sandhurst’s BFNL A-grade premiership win on Saturday, Meg Williams did what she always does – put her team first.
“There’s no other team I’d rather win a grand final with – this group of girls are like my world,” the selfless midcourter said.
“We worked so hard this season and to get rewarded today (Saturday) just tops it off.”
By her own admission, premiership success has been “a long-time coming” for Williams, who played in losing 17-and-under and A-reserve grand finals with the Dragons in 2014 and 2015.
She was also part of another grand final loss last season with her VNL under-19 team DC North East Blaze.
Williams said the losses were all the motivation she needed for a big performance against a quality Golden Square team contesting its fourth-straight grand final.
“We knew that were always going to come out strong, but we used our turnovers and converted off them,” she said.
The premiership win and best on court medal capped a remarkable season for the 18-year-old, who polled 21 Betty Thompson Medal votes to finish equal fourth alongside Maryborough’s Jordan Macilwain, behind teammate and coach Heather Oliver.
She also continued to play in the VNL.
Williams credited her VNL experience, along with the first-year coaching combination of Oliver and Tamara Gilchrist, for making her a better player.
“Ollie is literally my idol,” she said.
“They have worked us so hard this season – our pre-season was so hard at the time
“It’s really paid off and I am so thankful to be coached by two amazing people.”
Equally pleasing for the ace midcourter was getting the chance to win a premiership alongside her good friend Imogen Sexton, who this season worked her way back from a serious ACL injury to be a key player at goal keeper.
“I’ve done a lot with Immy, we played for Victoria together in under-15s and then she sadly did her knee,” she said.
“This year we came back together and it was awesome.
There’s no other team I’d rather win a grand final with – this group of girls are like my world.
- Meg Williams
“She is going to go far.”
Williams was uncertain where her netball would take her in the future, but added she hoped it included more premierships for Sandhurst.
Gilchrist believed a tilt at VNL championship level should be on the horizon for the Dragons’ gun wing attack.
“She is such a worker and dynamite player – her speed is so hard to stop for any wing defence and her feeds are spot-on,” she said.
“Meg is still young and has so much to bring.
“She is definitely one to watch for the future – we are so lucky to have her in our team.”
Golden Square coach Allira Holmes said the best on court award was fully deserved by a player, who always posed plenty of problems for her Bulldogs side.
“ I work with her day, so there’s been a little bit of back and forth during the week about Meg, but she always has a blinder (against us),” she said.
“We talk about not focusing on any one individual in the opposition, but she is a key player that we tend to try and match up on.
“She’s very dynamic and at her age she has a very bright future.”