A FAMILIAR face on the Millewa Netball courts, Anna Thomson will reach an unprecedented milestone this weekend when she pulls on the Werrimull A-Grade dress for the 200th time as her side goes up against Cardross in round seven.
“It’s a bit of a surreal feeling at the moment to think that I’ll join the 200 club alongside my mum,” said Thomson.
“It’s going to be a pretty special game.”
From a six-year-old junior to making her A-Grade debut at 15, Thomson has had a remarkable voyage with Werrimull.
“I’ve worked my way up to play as coach-captain and what makes it special now is that I play alongside my best friends,” she said.
“Each week we go out there and have so much fun.
“If it wasn’t for them, I probably still wouldn’t be there playing.”
Thomson’s connection to the Werrimull club has been passed through generations as her mother, father, and grandparents are all life members.
All three of her brothers have played or coached at Werrimull, while her father served a crucial role in reviving the club after it went into recess in 1992.
“Dad didn’t really know what to do, but he and a couple of others got a committee together,” said Thomson.
“From there everything just fell into place and to think 33 years later, (the fact) it’s still going strong is pretty special.”
Thomson has had a decorated career at Werrimull starting with claiming A Grade premiership glory at 15 playing alongside her mother.
In 2022, Thomson was awarded the league’s best and fairest, which is a medal named after her grandmother who personally presented her with the honour.
The most difficult segment of her career arrived in March 2023 after Thomson was forced to undergo ankle surgery.
“I told my surgeon I needed to be back by June to qualify for finals,” she said.
“I worked really hard in rehab and made it back with six games to go, and we won the premiership.
“Mentally, that was probably the hardest thing I’ve done.”
Despite the wear and tear of playing 200 netball matches, Thomson is still ambitious about her future but remains realistic.
“It gets harder and harder every week and every year,” she said.
“To make it to 300 would be surreal but anything from now on is pretty special.”
The Thomson family is most certainly embedded into the culture of the Werrimull club and Anna wants to keep that sense of tradition alive.
“I idolise the history of the club,” she said.
“My mum coached a premiership team to something like six or seven in a row.
“I’ve seen the club grow and evolve, and I love being part of keeping that history alive.”
