Family and community at heart for Murray Netball League best-and-fairest winner

Barnes dominated the vote count for the award on Sunday night, receiving 42 votes, while the runner-up, Deniliquin Rams’ Rhiannan Maxwell, received 28.

While she was happy with the win, Barnes-Hill quickly highlighted her team and family as key factors in receiving the award, particularly as she has been raising a newborn and nine-year-old daughter throughout the season.

“It’s amazing to win this award, but I am nothing without my team, and they make me look better; these kinds of things are a big group effort,” she said.

“It’s been challenging taking a year off to have my son. I didn’t have him until late last year, and I spent most of this season sleep-deprived as I navigate mum life.

“I also have a nine-year-old girl who never stops, so having a baby and a full noise daughter is challenging, but netball is my happy place, so I get to go there and do what I love; it’s a reprieve for me.”

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes one to get us women on the court; the family and the community around Rumbalara help out during the week and on game day.

“You know that everything is going to be taken care of one way or another, so I couldn’t do it without them.”

While thanking her support network, Barnes-Hill emphasised how her opponents drive her to be a better player, with her competitive spirit taking over on game day.

“There’s some huge talent in this league, and coming up against them week in and week out, those defenders don’t make my life easy,” she said.

“The opponents push me to play better; they bring out the old white line fever, and I don’t like to be bested, so that drives me.

“I want to thank my team, everyone at Rumbalara, the league and all the volunteers that put in the work behind the scenes; we wouldn’t be able to play and do what we do without them.”

Barnes-Hill and Rumbalara will face Moama in the MNL grand final on Sunday, September 22, with the centre pass scheduled for 1.30pm.