Star North Albury recruit Emily Browne has joined the elite of the league, claiming her second Toni Wilson Medal.
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The 21-year-old polled 28 votes to win by two from Lavington defender Sarah Meredith and Albury’s Brigetta Hart (23).
Browne tallied votes in 11 rounds, including an incredible eight best on courts.
The mid-court star polled the maximum in three successive games, from round eight.
Browne polled in four of the first six games, but that wasn’t enough to grab the lead after a third of the season.
Last year’s winner, Yarrawonga’s Hannah Symes, the Roos’ Sophie Hanrahan and Hart had 10 votes after six games to sit one ahead.
But Browne had the lead at the halfway mark with 15, two ahead of Hanrahan.
Hanrahan’s hopes ended quickly though when the star shooter, who posted 597 goals at 78 per cent, polled just one three vote, against Wangaratta Rovers in round 12.
Meredith was the story of the second half of the year.
After turning on only eight votes, the 180-centimetre interleague star polled in all but two of the games.
With two rounds left, Meredith had closed the gap to Browne to just one vote.
However, when Browne was best on court against Wodonga in round 17 and Meredith failed to poll against Yarrawonga, it meant the Hoppers’ star had her second medal.
Browne moved from Lavington to North Albury in February.
“Changing clubs or not, it’s great to be able to step up as a Toni Wilson medallist, no matter who it is,” she said.
And the aim was to fall back in love with the game.
“I did, thanks very much,” she said.
“I thought it was going to be one of those years … but absolutely loved it, loved showing up to training when I could.”
It was also an emotional win.
“I had a loss in my family so it was getting over that,” she said.
“I’m not over it, still just working through it I guess, it’s never going to be over, so the girls were so supportive through it all and absolutely loved it.”
Browne has become just the fourth multiple winner in the league’s 25 seasons.
Myrtleford’s Lindy Burgess won three of the first four medals, with Yarrawonga’s Tracy Gillies (1997, 2000) and Wangaratta Rovers’ Stacey Emms (2005, 2007) rounding out the quartet.
Burgess became the first netballer inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in 2015, with Gillies added last year.
Browne is the youngest of the quartet to win two medals.
North won through to Sunday’s preliminary final, but Yarrawonga proved too strong, racking up an 11th straight grand final.