Sport
26 June, 2026
Avoca’s Stacey Blair set to celebrate her 550th game
Every junior player who wears the colours of their local football and netball club dreams of reaching an individual games milestone.
Celebrating 100 games is a significant achievement for any player, reaching 300 games certainly enshrines you as a club legend, and anything beyond 400 games seems beyond the boundaries of what’s possible.
Yet Avoca superstar Stacey Blair will defy all expectations and the aging curve this weekend when she plays her 550th game for the Bulldogs against Carisbrook.
“I’m excited, it’s a bit over-whelming really, when you sort of look at all the support you receive,” Blair said.
“It’ll be a tough game against Carisbrook, but I’m looking forward to it and can’t wait to get out there with the girls.”
It’s an achievement that seems almost incomprehensible. Under the current MCDFNL schedule, a 2026 debutant would have to play over 34 home and away seasons to match Blair’s tally.
As the youngest of four girls who had a mum heavily involved as a coach and on the club’s committee, Blair said it was inevitable for her to join the Bulldogs, starting her netballing journey back in 1988.
Following her first taste in the under 14s, Blair immediately fell in love with the club, a loyal player and volunteer for nearly four decades.
Blair quickly built her reputation as a talented netballer, playing in five junior premierships and winning club under 14 best and fairest in 1992 and under 17 best and fairest in 1994.
By the turn of the century, Blair had blossomed into one of the best players in the now folded Lexton Plains Football Netball League, winning A grade league best and fairest in 2000 and 2004.
When Avoca joined the MCDFNL for the 2005 season, Blair immediately added to her already stacked resume, winning an A grade premiership and league best and fairest in her inaugural season.
Even after an almost unfathomable 38 years of netball, Blair remains a staple of Avoca’s dynastic A grade squad, a classy and tireless midcourter alongside fellow club legend and long-time teammate Lucy Howell.
Avoca A grade premiership player-coach Maddy Egan said Blair is a “coach’s dream” and continues to have an incredible impact on and off the court.
“She would have hoped that this was kept under wraps, but it’s unbelievable. I don’t know how she’s not only still going but still playing A grade netball,” she said.
“Whatever the team needs, she’ll do it. She’s gone from defence in her younger years, to goals, to midcourt and now to wing defence. She’s a coach’s dream.
“She always looks at me ready to throw the ball and I’ll shake my head and she’ll nod her head and throw it anyway. She’s like I know you were shaking your head, but I had to give it to you and it’s always so funny.
“She’s a great club person, a great friend, she’s a mentor for all of the juniors and she still does junior coaching. She’s been amazing to have around the club and as a teammate.”
When the Bulldogs completed their A grade three-peat last season with a Grand Final victory over Talbot, it marked Blair’s seventh MCDFNL A grade premiership, producing some of her fondest memories as a player.
“That’s what you play for and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in quite a few now and we’re still going pretty well at the moment,” Blair said.
Her on-court achievements, dedication, resilience and selfless-ness have earned her life member-ships at both Avoca and the MCDFNL.
Yet according to Blair, another key element has played an instrumental role in her historic career.
“I’ve been very lucky, very lucky with injury, I haven’t missed a game to injury in those 38 years and lucky with the people I’ve gotten to play with,” she said.
Blair also credits the countless volunteers over the years who have allowed her beloved Bulldogs to thrive.
“I’ve got a lot of good friends there. I’ve played with a lot of wonderful people over the years and I’m just lucky that it’s such a great club and that they’re so welcoming,” she said.
“I just want to thank the club for having me all these years and letting us do what we do.
“We get to play the game, we’re the lucky ones that do what we love, it’s everyone that’s running it day in and day out behind the scenes that make the club keep going.”
While her seemingly everlasting playing career begins to ride towards the sunset, Blair’s four children are beginning their own local sporting journeys at Avoca.
No matter what the future holds, Blair said she envisions herself remaining a key figure at the Bulldogs.
“I’d love to keep playing as long as I can, but then at the same time, you want to see the kids come through and have a good crack at it too,” she said.
“I think it’s pretty special to be able to watch your kids play and do the same thing that we did growing up. I probably love watching them play more than playing myself now.
“I certainly will stay involved at the club, whether it’s playing or getting involved on the sidelines.”