Milestones don’t come any bigger than one the Bunyip Netball Club celebrated on Saturday.
The club wishes to acknowledge the achievements of Tanya Roberts who played her 650th game of netball for the club.
To make this achievement more outstanding is the fact that Tanya has only ever played senior netball with the club, a truly outstanding feat spanning over 30 years at Bunyip.
Tanya commenced playing netball with the Bunyip Netball Club in 1984.
In her early years Tanya played mainly defence and with her tall, athletic talent, she gave her opponents something to think about week in week out.
As the body got older and the goalers got younger, she switched ends and was just as handy in the goal circle where you will find her playing today.
Tanya is one of only three players in our club to have ever won a senior Ellinbank and District Netball Association best and fairest…and she has won three.
Some of Tanya achievements include:
• 1990 B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest
• 1997 B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest – Runner Up
• 1999 B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest – Runner Up
B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2000 B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest
B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2001 B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2002 B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2003 Bunyip Netball Club Hall of Fame Inductee
B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest
• 2004 B Grade EDNA Best and Fairest – Runner Up
B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2005 Played the season in A Grade
• 2006 Bunyip Netball Club Life Membership
• 2007 B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2009 C Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2010 B Grade EDNA Runner-Up
B Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2011 Full knee reconstruction
• 2012 Returned to C Grade side.
• 2016 C Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2017 C Grade Bunyip Best and Fairest
• 2021 Coached Bunyip’s first ever D Grade team
Tanya ventured to the West Gippsland Netball League for a change of scenery on two occasions, the first to Drouin in 1985, and the other to Garfield in 1994, under Janice Ablett.
But her heart was always with the Bunyip girls and so she returned. Ironically, Janice was to become her coach again in 2004 and 2005, only this time at Bunyip.
Tanya has only missed one full season in her years at the club, which was 1998 when she was pregnant with Taylah and travelled around Australia.
Tanya has been a hard worker for the club.
She has taken on a number of coaching roles over the years. A favourite would be in 2011 coaching the 13-Under girls into a grand final.
In 2003 Tanya was inducted into the Bunyip Netball Club Hall of Fame for her playing and netball achievements. She has been a committee person for so many years we have lost count and was club Treasurer in 2001 and 2002.
In 2006 she received the highest accolade at our club…that of Life Membership for her exceptional and outstanding contribution both as a player and committee person.
Tanya has an amazing netball brain and a fantastic recollection of what year Bunyip played in finals and which clubs it played, the players who played, and even what positions they all played.
She is also a very experienced finals and grand final campaigner, having played and lost many over the years.
The dream of winning a grand final finally came true in 2004 when Tanya was part of the B Grade premiership side, which defeated Kooweerup.
It was a dream come true after so many years of trying.
Tanya will tell you all the personal awards are great but nothing is more exciting than winning a flag.
Tanya had been super lucky with injuries, until early 2011 where she suffered a torn ACL which required a full knee reconstruction but that didn’t stop her.
She was back out on the court the following year donning the red, white and blue in C grade, where she remained for the next six years, again playing in more finals than she could count but unfortunately just falling short on a couple of occasions of taking home that much sought-after silverware.
After 2020, and Covid taking away our season, Tanya was ready to hang up the Asics.
But a few around the club just couldn’t let 2020 be her last year so instead, she is now coaching our first ever senior D grade team. and still stamping her presence in that goal ring as both a goaler and also back to where it all began in GD.
We are all very proud of your achievements; you truly are an outstanding ambassador for our great club.
Tanya all your friends at the Bunyip Netball Club congratulate you on 650 games and thank you for your dedication and commitment to our club…we are lucky to have you!
-Bunyip Netball Club-
