IT WAS not just the mid-courters who dominated voting in this year’s race for the Betty Thompson Medal as fairest and best in A-grade netball run by the Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL.
Goalers and defenders also claimed their fair share of votes from the umpires.
Gun centre Shae Clifford capped a brilliant run for Sandhurst by being declared the Betty Thompson medallist on 22 votes.
Kangaroo Flat goaler Ruby Barkmeyer marked a great return to the club by being runner-up in the medal race on 18 votes.
The top five was rounded out by four players who will be on court at the Queen Elizabeth Oval for Saturday’s grand final between Kangaroo Flat and Sandhurst.
The Thompson medallist of ’23 and ’24, Kangaroo Flat centre Chelsea Sartori polled 14 votes to be equal third with Sandhurst captain Sophie Shoebridge.
Next best was Kangaroo Flat mid-courter Abbey Ryan on 13 votes.
Locked in fifth place on 12 votes were Gisborne’s Zoe Davies and Kirby Elliott, and Sandhurst’s Meg Williams.
The Betty Thompson Medal votes for the 2025 season:
Round 1
South Bendigo 59 d Strathfieldsaye 44
3 Olivia Jones, SB; 2 Kyla Byrne, SB; 1 Annie Hughes, S’saye.
Kangaroo Flat 64 d Gisborne 36
3 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 2 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 1 Milly Wicks, KF.
Golden Square 43 lt Eaglehawk 60
3 Eden Clifford, Eh; 2 Allira Holmes, Eh; 1 Morgan Keating, Eh.
Round 2
Gisborne 51 d South Bendigo 35
3 Zoe Davies, Gis.; 2 Charlee Kemp, Gis.; 1 Stephanie Goode, SB.
Eaglehawk 17 lt Kangaroo Flat 70
3 Abbey Ryan, KF; 2 Megan Wilson, KF; 1 Teal Hocking, KF.
Strathfieldsaye 23 lt Sandhurst 60
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Meg Williams, Sh; 1 Rebecca Smith, Sh.
Round 3
South Bendigo 47 dr Eaglehawk 47
3 Darcey Lloyd, Eh; 2 Abbey McLean, Eh; 1 Stephanie Goode, SB.
Golden Square 29 lt Sandhurst 65
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Meg Williams, Sh; 1 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh.
Gisborne 50 d Strathfieldsaye 22
3 Zoe Davies, Gis.; 2 Charlee Kemp, Gis.; 1 Kirby Elliott, Gis.
Round 4
Sandhurst 54 lt Kangaroo Flat 64
3 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 2 Ashley Ryan, KF; 1 Milly Wicks, KF.
Strathfieldsaye 48 d Golden Square 43
3 Annie Hughes, S’saye; 2 Brooke Mangan, S’saye; 1 Holly Swatton, GS.
Eaglehawk 32 lt Gisborne 48
3 Emmerson Lakey, Gis.; 2 Charlee Kemp, Gis.; 1 Morgan Keating, Eh.
Round 5
South Bendigo 32 lt Sandhurst 75
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Meg Williams, Sh; 1 Rebecca Smith, Sh.
Kangaroo Flat 73 d Golden Square 22
3 Abbey Ryan, KF; 2 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 1 Alicia McGlashan, KF.
Eaglehawk 37 d Strathfieldsaye 33
3 Allira Holmes, Eh; 2 Claire Gibbs, S’saye; 1 Lainey Pollard, S’saye.
Round 6
Golden Square 44 d South Bendigo 39
3 Holly Swatton, GS; 2 Amelia Mundy, GS; 1 Olivia Treloar, SB.
Kangaroo Flat 79 d Strathfieldsaye 24
3 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 2 Abbey Ryan, KF; 1 Ashley Ryan, KF.
Sandhurst 50 d Gisborne 32
3 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh; 2 Shae Clifford, Sh; 1 Rebecca Smith, Sh.
Round 7
South Bendigo 19 lt Kangaroo Flat 83
3 Abbey Ryan, KF; 2 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 1 Megan Wilson, KF.
Gisborne 52 d Golden Square 33
3 Torie Skrijel, Gis.; 2 Keira Lawry, GS; 1 Amity Drayton, Gis.
Eaglehawk 33 lt Sandhurst 50
3 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh; 2 Shae Clifford, Sh; 1 Gracie Berryman, Eh.
Round 8
Strathfieldsaye 49 lt South Bendigo 59
3 Hayley Harrington, SB; 2 Gabe Richards, SB; 1 Annie Hughes, S’saye.
Gisborne 43 lt Kangaroo Flat 51
3 Ashley Ryan, KF; 2 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 1 Megan Wilson, KF.
Eaglehawk 54 d Golden Square 39
3 Abbey McLean, Eh; 2 Allira Holmes, Eh; 1 Daisy Stringer, GS.
Round 9
South Bendigo 51 d Gisborne 49
3 Gabe Richards, SB; 2 Hayley Harrington, SB; 1 Kirby Elliott, Gis.
Kangaroo Flat 74 d Eaglehawk 33
3 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 2 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 1 Abbey Ryan, KF.
Sandhurst 74 d Strathfieldsaye 39
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Heather Oliver, Sh; 1 Rebecca Smith, Sh.
Round 10
Eaglehawk 53 lt South Bendigo 58
3 Kyla Byrne, SB; 2 Andrea Wilson, SB; 1 Gracie Berryman, Eh.
Sandhurst 69 d Golden Square 27
3 Darcy Williams, Sh; 2 Kelsey Meade, Sh; 1 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh.
Strathfieldsaye 27 lt Gisborne 58
3 Kirby Elliott, Gis.; 2 Claudia Mawson, Gis.; 1 Jemma Denman, Gis.
Round 11
Kangaroo Flat 63 d Sandhurst 48
3 Ashley Ryan, KF; 2 Claire McGee, Sh; 1 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF.
Golden Square 30 lt Strathfieldsaye 39
3 Brooke Mangan, S’saye; 2 Annie Hughes, S’saye; 1 Ella Sheehan, GS.
Gisborne 53 d Eaglehawk 18
3 Kirby Elliott, Gis.; 2 Torie Skrijel, Gis.; 1 Charlee Kemp, Gis.
Round 12
Sandhurst 73 d South Bendigo 50
3 Meg Williams, Sh; 2 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh; 1 Rebecca Smith, Sh.
Golden Square 26 lt Kangaroo Flat 84
3 Alicia McGlashan, KF; 2 Ingrid Hopkins, KF; 1 Stephanie Greene, KF.
Strathfieldsaye 41 lt Eaglehawk 45
3 Allira Holmes, Eh; 2 Gracie Berryman, Eh; 1 Brooke Mangan, S’saye.
Round 13
Gisborne 39 lt Sandhurst 44
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Claudia Mawson, Gis.; 1 Ruby Turner, Sh.
South Bendigo 55 d Golden Square 47
3 Isabel Coutts, SB; 2 Keira Lawry, GS; 1 Hayley Harrington, SB.
Strathfieldsaye 27 lt Kangaroo Flat 68
3 Alicia McGlashan, KF; 2 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 1 Abbey Ryan, KF.
Round 14
Kangaroo Flat 72 d South Bendigo 49
3 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 2 Milly Wicks, KF; 1 Gabrielle Richards, SB.
Golden Square 19 lt Gisborne 66
3 Zoe Davies, Gis.; 2 Kirby Elliott, Gis.; 1 Charlee Kemp, Gis.
Sandhurst 66 d Eaglehawk 25
3 Ruby Turner, Sh; 2 Heather Oliver, Sh; 1 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh.
Round 15
Gisborne 58 d Strathfieldsaye 17
3 Zoe Davies, Gis.; 2 Kirby Elliott, Gis.; 1 Charlee Kemp, Gis.
Kangaroo Flat 94 d Eaglehawk 27
3 Teal Hocking, KF; 2 Chelsea Sartori, KF; 1 Milly Wicks, KF.
Golden Square 28 lt Sandhurst 81
3 Sophie Shoebridge, Sh; 2 Meg Williams, Sh; 1 Darcy Williams, Sh.
Round 16
Sandhurst 48 d Gisborne 44
3 Shae Clifford, Sh; 2 Claudia Mawson, Gis.; 1 Meg Williams, Sh.
South Bendigo 50 lt Kangaroo Flat 94
3 Milly Wicks, KF; 2 Ruby Barkmeyer, KF; 1 Ashley Ryan, KF.
Strathfieldsaye 67 d Golden Square 46
3 Annie Hughes, S’saye; 2 Brooke Mangan, S’saye; 1 Daisy Stringer, GS.