Wall marks major milestone

TIME flies when you’re having fun … and so do the games, apparently.

Wentworth netball stalwart Samantha Wall was caught totally unaware earlier this month when told she was about her play her 250th game in red, white and blue.

“I had no clue as to how many games I’d played. So it was a surprise to me when they told me it was my 250th,” Wall said of the announcement before her team’s away game at Ouyen.

“They made it special occasion for me,” she said of the club she has been associated with for almost 20 years.

“They had some balloons; some flowers and they made a video with some of my older teammates, it was very special.”

To further highlight the day, she scored 23 goals in a lopsided victory.

Wall has spent her entire netball career playing seniors at the powerhouse Roos and is currently a mainstay of the B Grade side, which won a second straight pennant last year.

The mighty A Grade side, which ran through 2024 undefeated before being upset by Ouyen United in the grand final, was where Wall plied her trade until a few years ago and provides impetus which flows down through all grades and levels at Wenty.

“We are so successful in our B Grade because we are playing the A Graders in practice,” Wall said.

“And that trickles all the way down. We have many teams making finals each year, so the buzz around the club is always good … particularly at that time of year.”

The mother of three and co-ordinator of Wenworth’s Net Set Go junior program, is keen to keep playing for a few more seasons before hanging up the bib.

“I’m hoping to go for a bit longer depending on how my body goes and everything but I’m feeling good at the moment. I’ll definitely try to keep playing for the next couple of years and hopefully get to 300 now,” she said.

“My fitness is one of the things I need to improve. I’m happy to pass the ball off now and make everyone else do the work,” she said with a laugh.

“I’ve loved netball since I was a little girl and it’s just a super great club to be at and the people around it makes it very inviting. It’s a really good family club and my kids (nine, seven and two) really enjoy being around it.”

It’s quite a Wall family affair at Rooland with husband Geoff being a former player and current committee member and brothers-in-law Chris and Seniors captain Andrew, who is poised to reach a milestone of his own this season, still pulling on the boots.

“We’ve got a good bunch of girls at the club and great supporters and leaders of the club who just keep things going. It’s a great family environment.”