Tracy Gillies, Yarrawonga
Yarrawonga has been the undisputed pacesetter of Ovens and Murray netball since its inception in 1993 and few have had a bigger impact in laying the Pigeons’ foundations for sustained success than Tracy Gillies.
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Her impact on the Pigeons has been significant both on and off the court since joining the club mid-way through the 1995 season from the Shepparton Netball Association where she had played at state league level for the Goulburn Valley.
Gillies was promoted to A grade coach in 1996 and won the first of three club best and fairests as she led by example on the court.
One year later, the super skilled mid-court player won the first of two Toni Wilson medals.
Always cool in a crisis, Gillies also finished top-three on two other occasions in a career spanning 236 A grade appearances.
Gillies introduced a level of professionalism to the Pigeons ranks which remains clearly evident today.
Fitness was at the cornerstone of the teams she coached in two stints, firstly from 1996 to 2003 and then 2007 to 2009.
The Pigeons played in seven A grade grand finals for two premierships in 2001 and 2009 under Gillies.
The 2009 success kick-started a run of four successive A grade flags with the Pigeons playing in every finals since 1997.