Sport
25 July, 2022
Decorated netballer Madi Browne Carisbrook bound in support of Isla Hunter
The Carisbrook Football Netball Club will have an exciting day on Saturday, with former Australian Diamonds netball captain Madi Browne attending for the afternoon. Through Browne’s appearance, the club will be supporting Carisbrook footballer...
The Carisbrook Football Netball Club will have an exciting day on Saturday, with former Australian Diamonds netball captain Madi Browne attending for the afternoon.
Through Browne’s appearance, the club will be supporting Carisbrook footballer Harley Hunter and his family in their fundraiser for his daughter, Isla, who is battling Classic Infantile Batten Disease.
Browne — a decorated netballer with 61 caps for Australia, as well as being named International Player of the Year in 2012, will help run a NetSetGo clinic prior to the Redbacks’ A grade game against Newstead, before stepping in to a mentor role for the A graders.
Carisbrook A grade coach Amelia Jarvis said Browne was excited to come onboard for the day ahead of a big finals campaign for the Redbacks, who currently sit in third place on the A grade ladder behind runaway leaders Avoca and Natte Bealiba.
“I sent an email to Madi and let her know what Carisbrook netball were about, and what the club in general is about, and discussed
that we were trying to raise funds for the Hunter family with Isla,” she said.
“Madi said that she would be happy to come onboard, mentoring the A grade netball and running a NetSetGo clinic beforehand, and then we knuckled down and organised a few dates, and settled on this Saturday (against Newstead).
“It’s huge when you look at a decorated career like that, and just a genuinely nice person as well on top of everything else. For a small club like Carisbrook, having a decorated member of society like her is massive, it will put Carisbrook on the map a little bit, and give girls in country Victoria someone to look up to and aspire to be like as they are coming through the ranks as well.”
Jarvis said that there was a great level of interest for the NetSetGo clinic from the general community, but there was just as much excitement from the senior netballers in the Redbacks’ setup.
“We’ve had quite a bit of interest coming through for the clinic, but when I was discussing what she’ll bring to the senior netball group, they were more excited than what the kids are — Madi Browne has been an amazing member of the Diamonds and someone I looked up to during my playing career as well. So, yes, it’s exciting for the kids, but it’s also exciting for the senior netballers as well having someone of this calibre this accessible right at our fingertips,” she said.
Jarvis also said it was an honour to help provide support to Isla Hunter’s fundraiser for the afternoon, with the club’s final two home games of the season dedicated to events towards the fundraiser — with Browne’s appearance on Saturday followed by a family day in their final home game against Talbot in round 15.
“When we first started the Isla Hunter fundraiser, I took it to (club president) Phil Hooper and turned it from a raffle into a significant part of the club. Every single club member has got around us to support Harley and his family, and it gives me goosebumps seeing how much it’s grown and also, how amazing everyone is coming together for a club family,” she said.
With Browne making an appearance this weekend, her tips could prove crucial in Carisbrook’s chase for the A grade premiership, with the Redbacks currently holding on to third place by percentage.
“We’re all buzzing coming into finals. We’ve had one game this year where the entire A grade squad has played due to sickness and injury, but we are thriving. The girls are playing great netball at the moment, they’re responding really well to feedback and we’re looking forward to having Madi this weekend to give us some extra pointers coming into these tough games and we’re up to scratch when it comes to finals,” Jarvis said.
“Phil said when we were organising this that it was good to have some potential tips for these last few rounds coming into finals.”
Entry to Carisbrook’s NetSetGo junior clinic will be by gold coin donation on Saturday, with Browne appearing at Carisbrook from 1.45 to 3.45 pm.