Isla Carver (centre) was named the Kyabram A-grade netball best-and-fairest winner on Saturday, beating Abby Waasdorp (right) for the honour. They are with Monique Williams (player's player winner). Photos: KFNC.
Another chapter was added to the distinguished history of renowned Kyabram sporting family, the Carvers, at Saturday evening’s Kyabram Football Netball Club best-and-fairest count.
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Isla Carver, the recently turned 18-year-old daughter of Matthew and Sandy (nee Hayman, whose name is also hanging in several of those clubrooms), etched her name into the record books by winning the Kyabram A-grade netball best-and-fairest award.
Honour boards at Kyabram and Lancaster are filled with the Carver name, both for individual and team success, along with as office bearers and coaches of various teams and clubs.
Isla’s mother is also a decorated Kyabram District League netballer, a premiership player and multiple best-and-fairest winner.
She has also coached a number of the club’s under age teams.
Twenty one-year-old sister, Molly, was runner-up in this year’s Kyabram B-grade best-and-fairest count , but also has a number of junior and senior titles to her credit.
Micaela Herbert's outstanding season in the goaling circle was rewarded with the B-grade best-and-fairest award. She is with Molly Carver and Hannah Newman.
Her younger brother, 15-year-old Oscar, is also on track to add further to the family’s sporting legacy.
In typical Carver fashion she pushed the limelight in another direction, saying how excited she was for the 2025 season with Raz Hilton and Peter Hall as joint coaches.
“They are both eager to have some success in the senior netball and to develop the club. I am looking forward to being competitive next year and having two very experienced coaches will help my team and I become better netballers to win some more games,” she said.
The Kyabram P-12 College graduate will take a gap year in 2025 before heading off to university and is excited about the next group of players to come through the ranks.
“A lot of the under-17 girls are very capable of playing senior netball and several will get the opportunity to debut next year, which is very exciting,” she said.
15 & Under award winners were (from left) Ruby Baker, Mia Stockdale (runner-up best and fairest), Mia Kilpatrick and Ella Hooper (best and fairest).
Isla is the niece of senior co-coach Corey, whose name appears as the best-and-fairest player of Lancaster’s senior football team on five occasions, and cousin of this year’s under-18 runner-up best-and-fairest Lachlan Carver.
Isla, herself, is no newcomer to best-and-fairest titles. She has featured regularly in under age vote counts at Kyabram and won the Lancaster under-13 best-and-fairest before joining the Bombers.
She has also been a regular part of GVL representative teams, alongside Dodos.
Carver, Dodos and Abby Waasdorp, who finished runner-up to her teammate in the vote count, were all part of the same junior team - which finished fourth on the ladder last season.
B-Reserve award winners were Shani Clark, Eli Kiker, Rachel McCormack and Laura Papalia.
They lost by seven goals in the second week of the finals to eventual premier Mooroopna, but posted some big scores in the home and away season. In round 17 against Euroa they set a new league benchmark by beating Euroa 102-18.
Two other teenagers, Ava Pell and Rose Cunningham, also debuted at the top level this year.
This year was a little different for the trio as they won just the one game as part of the A-grade team, finishing second from the bottom.
Full details of the netball vote counts were, 15 & Under: best-and-fairest, Ella Hooper; Runner-up, Mia Stockdale; Players’ Player; Mia Kilpatrick; Coaches Award, Ruby Barker.
17 & Under: best-and-fairest, Stella Trezise; Runner-up, Ava Pell; Players’ Player, Ava Pell; Coaches Award, Charlee Gregory.
B Reserve: best-and-fairest, Rachel McCormack; Runner-up, Laura Papalia and Shani Clark; Players’ Player, Elli Kiker; Coaches Award, Elli Kiker.
Stella Trezise was named the 17 & Under best and fairest for 2024, with Charlee Gregory taking the coach's award and Ava Pell runner-up best and fairest.
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