Sports wrap: a new accolade for Ezi as finals fever hits
Individual accolades, team triumph and months of gruelling pre-season finally coming to fruition, there’s plenty of action in the latest edition of our sports wrap.
W-League
Melina Ayres and Polly Doran became W-League Champions when Melbourne Victory made history as just the second team to win back-to-back Championships, completing yet another memorable campaign.
For much of the season, Victory were in survival mode, pushing through COVID outbreaks, injuries, and a February fixture list that featured a game roughly every three days.
Going into the Grand Final as underdogs, Victory emerged 2–1 victors over Sydney FC to claim the title.
AFLW
The fairytale finish wasn’t to be for Lauren Butler, Mikala Cann, and their Collingwood teammates, who fell to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in their qualifying final. The Lions extended their lead at every break to eventually run out 50-point victors, with the Pies putting up a brave fight but running out of legs following their COVID-impacted lead-in.
On an individual front, Lauren was named in the AFLPA 22Under22 side for the second year in a row, recognising her consistent form as a key cog in the Magpies’ defensive line-up.
Lauren averaged 13 disposals, two marks, three tackles, three rebound 50s and four contested possessions across the 2022 season.
Fellow Deakin elite-athlete student and Geelong star Rebecca Webster also made the final selection for her stand-out season, stepping up as a dominant force on the ball, with career-high averages of 16.8 disposals and six tackles per game, as well as kicking three goals across the season.
WNBL
Deakin elite athlete students Ezi Magbegor, Lily Scanlon and the Melbourne Boomers won their way through to the WNBL grand final series, with two comprehensive victories over the Adelaide Lightning.
The Boomers claimed game one by 31 points before sealing the grand final berth with a 12-point victory in game two.
Melbourne will now return home ahead of having a home-court advantage in the best-of-three championship series which begins Saturday at Parkville against the Perth Lynx.
It caps of an impressive week for Ezi (pictured), who also took out the 2021/22 WNBL Betty Watson Australian Youth Player of the Year.
In her fourth WNBL season, Ezi has topped her team’s scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game while also contributing in defence, averaging 7.5 rebounds throughout her 15 games the season.
‘I appreciate being considered for this award and I’m very grateful to receive it, especially knowing all the young talent that is in the WNBL,’ Ezi said.
‘Receiving this award is an honour, but the main focus now is continuing to help my team win the WNBL championship.’
Support #YourTeamMelbourne as they battle the Perth Lynx for the 2021/22 WNBL crown – get your tickets now!
Suncorp Super Netball
The Suncorp Super Netball came back with a bang after a long and grueling pre-season for a number of Deakin elite athlete students.
The Melbourne Vixens kicked off their campaign in style with a five-goal win over the Queensland Firebirds thanks to performances from co-captains Liz Watson and Kate Moloney, as well as fellow Deakin students Jo Weston, Kate Eddy and Hannah Mundy.
Matilda Garrett’s Adelaide Thunderbirds claimed bragging rights over Magpies Kelsey Browne and Shimona Nelson, while Jo Harten led her GIANTS to a huge upset victory in the NSW derby and Grand Final re-match in a thrilling two-goal win.
AFL
A host of elite student athletes returned to the AFL in the opening two rounds, perhaps none more significant than Adam Tomlinson who returned to the fold for the Demons in their 26-point win over the Western Bulldogs, 318 days after rupturing his ACL.
‘To be honest, I always wanted to play Round 1, but at the same time I knew that [it was going to be hard] to get back into the side, and especially our backend of the team – it’s pretty strong,’ Adam said.
‘Ever since the stats have been recorded it’s probably one of the strongest [backlines] ever, so I knew it was going to be a tough ask, but I’m pretty proud of myself to get back.’
Sam Walsh was a welcome return to the Blues’ line-up in their 12-point win in Round 2, maintaining their perfect record this season.
Collecting 34 disposals, seven score involvements and five clearances, Sam was glad to be able to make an impact for his team.
‘It was great to be back out there: it’s hard when you’re watching from the sidelines,’ Sam said.
‘To be out there and crack in like we did tonight was great to be a part of, it was just awesome to finally try and get out there and help out the boys.’
Are you an elite athlete studying at Deakin?
Elite athletes can face many demands in finding a balance between their studies and sporting commitments, and we understand the need to support student athletes to enable them to succeed in both areas.
If you’ve got any questions about how the Elite Athlete Program (EAP) could help you, please visit the EAP website or contact the Elite Sports Coordinator, Jack Duke, at [email protected].