UNBRIDLED joy for her teammates, tinged with a smidgen of envy, was running through Courtney Wakefield 12 months ago.
As Wentworth’s A Grade netball side celebrated an invincible season by winning the premiership after a one-goal thriller against Ouyen United, the Roos defender was preparing for Richmond’s AFLW round three match-up with Hawthorn.
After spending the first half of the season on the Sunraysia netball courts, the shifting of the AFLW season to its current time frame meant she had a choice to make, stay at home or pull on the boots.
The latter was a good decision as Wakefield was named in the All-Australian team and led the Tigers to their first finals series.
Now the newly crowned Jackie Horkings Medal winner is keen to make up for lost time and win a premiership medallion of her own in Saturday’s A Grade grand final against Mildura.
“Once the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) came out last year I knew I had to make a decision, and I think it was the right one as I was fortunate to have a pretty successful AFLW season,” she said.
“This year I think I’m right where I need to be, back at Wentworth and enjoying playing with the girls.
“Last year, I started the season knowing full well what this group was capable of achieving and that I likely wouldn’t be there to see it through with them.
“You do sort of think ‘I wish I could have been there for that’, but the opportunity to play at the highest level of women’s footy doesn’t come around very often and being able to make the All-Australian team and play in two finals for Richmond meant it was the right call to make.”
Now minus the 1200km round trips to Melbourne from Top Hut Station, Wakefield has settled back into life on the courts.
Not only has her daughter Tilly taken to netball this year, the 2016 A Grade premiership winner has been a force across the so far undefeated 2023 campaign, capped off with the best and fairest Jackie Horkings Medal on Monday night.
Wakefield’s defensive combination with captain Christie Becker and Natalie Vercher has been a scary prospect for all opponents to combat.
“Obviously it was very unexpected but it’s something I’m really proud of at the same time,” she said.
“We had five girls named in the Team of the Year so to even poll enough votes to within that group, let alone the rest of the competition wasn’t something I expected.
“You obviously play the game for fun but in A Grade you also play to win, and we’re one step closer to potentially winning another premiership.
“Finishing on top of the ladder and going undefeated is obviously a great reward but what’s happened before is in the past and it’s a whole new game against Mildura.”
Wakefield and her “partners in crime” face a likely match-up with the Demons’ outstanding attacking trio of Jess McNamara, Ellie Vincent and Maddie Alvino.
“It’s been hotly contested in the previous three games between us and I’m not expecting anything less on Saturday, but what’s happened in the past stays in the past,” she said.
“We will try and treat it as any other game as much as possible although we also know how big it will be.”
