By Romy Stephens
Narre Warren Football and Netball Club’s Kate Dowling became the first netball player to reach 250 games for the club on Saturday.
The milestone game was celebrated in style as the Premier Division B Grade captain helped her side secure a convincing win over Berwick in the final game of the home and away season.
Kate said the win topped off what was a great day.
“We ended up winning by about five goals, it was quite a competitive game,” she said.
“I suppose that’s the icing on the cake.
“It’s always good to get the win especially against a strong club in Berwick.”
Kate has played for Narre Warren since 2006 where she first began as a 12-year-old in the under 13s side.
In 2011, she captained the under 17s premiership side before transitioning into the seniors where she has now been playing for eight seasons.
Kate has been an integral part of the netball program at Narre Warren, overall winning one best and fairest award and two runner-up best and fairest awards.
She has been a premiership captain four times and was a premiership coach – in her first season of coaching – for the Under 15s White five years ago.
But one of her biggest highlights over the past 14 years was when all four senior teams won a premiership during the same year.
“If I could relive that weekend I would,” she said.
Over the years, Kate has been a big part of helping build a strong club culture at Narre Warren.
She said she feels proud to be part of a club that has worked hard to build success over the years.
“We put in the hard yards really early on and we’ve built a culture that people want to come and play for,” she explained.
“The last five to seven years we’ve really started to see the success of being loyal, dedicated and hard-working.
“The pure enjoyment and strong relationships probably are the most important part of our club.
“The most special thing for me to reach this milestone is the relationships I’ve built, the club environment I’m apart of and the building of success over the last 14 years.
Kate will now lead her side into the final series, with Narre Warren taking on Cranbourne next Saturday in the B Grade elimination final.
