Sophie Craig delays honeymoon, cracks NSW Swifts roster for 2020 Super Netball
This player is so committed to making a mark in Super Netball this year she has delayed her honeymoon so she doesn't miss a training session.
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Defender Sophie Craig, nee Halpin, will enter the 2020 netball season with a new husband in the stands, a new home in Sydney’s west and a new resolve.
The Sydney netballer has even postponed her honeymoon until the end of the Super Netball season so she doesn’t miss out on any pre-season work with reigning Super Netball champions, the NSW Swifts.
“We have put off the honeymoon until the end of the year when we will go overseas,” Halpin said.
On International Women’s Day we say thank you netball. The sport that was there when we needed â¤ðŸ’™
— NSW Swifts (@NSWSwifts) March 7, 2020
The sport that’s always given women a fair go – for almost 100 years. Our pioneers’ legacy will never be taken for granted @NetballNSW @SuperNetball #IWD2020 pic.twitter.com/HQBfygXcMZ
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Craig, who grew up in Fairfield, lives at Smithfield and is building a house at Camden, received a major boost in March when she became the final piece of the Swifts puzzle for 2020.
Her confirmation on the playing roster is a major upgrade from the role she played at the start of last season as a training partner for the famous club,.
“I started last year as a training partner and ended up being contracted which was amazing,” said Craig, who covered the Sydney Olympic Park based Swifts during a season marred by a strong of injuries but ended with them claiming their first Super Netball title.
“I was on the bench for every game and played most of them.”
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“I still felt very much a part of the team as a training partner. But there was always that little question, why not me?’’
Craig said news she was to be on the official roster at the start of the season was a dream come true.
“When Briony called me in and told me it was a very emotional moment,” she said. “I think we both had tears because this has been a dream of mine for so long and having been privileged enough to be part of last year’s Premiership win I realised I wanted the spot even more,’’ she said.
“I grew up loving the Swifts, their legacy and what the club stands for. It gives me great pride to wear the dress because I’m out there playing for my family, who have supported me so much down the years.
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Coach Briony Akle praised Craig for her work ethic and commitment to the team.
“I think if you look up the definition of a battler in the dictionary you could put in a picture of Sophie,” Akle said.
The NSW Swifts pre-season amps up with the Team Girls Cup competition at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park from the March 27-29 March.
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