Sophie Hanrahan: Corowa Rutherglen netball star travels 14 hours to play Victorian Netball league

One of the Ovens and Murray’s biggest stars is driving more than 14 hours a week to play in the Victorian Netball League in Melbourne. Here’s why.

Fourteen hours of travel is what one of Albury Wodonga’s most talented netballers dedicates weekly in the pursuit of chasing her netball dreams.

After lighting up the Ovens and Murray Netball League for eight seasons, two-time Toni Wilson medallist Sophie Hanrahan has added the Victorian Netball League to her busy schedule for 2022.

The 24-year old Albury local was selected to play for the City West Falcons’ Division 1 side after dominating the defensive end for Corowa Rutherglen’s A Grade side, who are this season’s premiership favourites.

The commitment requires Hanrahan to travel more than 14 hours a week as she commutes between her home in Albury, the VNL in Melbourne and her O & M side in Corowa, but Hanrahan said it’s “now or never” when it comes to her netball dreams.

“I went down to a Falcons training mid way through last year with Georgie Bruce (coach of Corowa) and I just loved it,” Hanrahan said.

“I’m 24 and just thought I’d give it a crack. It’s now or never.”

Hanrahan’s head coach at the Falcons is Marg Lind, who runs the most successful VNL club to date and helped coach Maggie Lind to a Super Netball contract at the age of 28, which is considered older by Super Netball standards.

“I think it’s always a goal (to make the Super Netball), I’d love someone to pat me on the shoulder and say ‘go on’”, she laughed.

“But I’m just loving playing Div one and the high standard of netball I get to play.”

Hanrahan said her new hybrid car clocks over 1200 kilometres a week, but she doesn’t mind the travel and isn’t looking to move to Melbourne anytime soon.

“I smash out a few podcasts, do a few work calls, call a few friends and annoy them a little bit, but I’m getting used to it.”

Corowa Rutherglen are undefeated this season, which could also be credited to another player making immense travel sacrifices to play for the Roos.

Toni Lind is the daughter of former Melbourne Kestrel Marg Lind and sister to Collingwood Magpie Maggie Lind, and said she was “roped in” to playing for Corowa by good friend and teammate Liv Sinclair.

“Liv roped me into it, she came down to a few sessions last year and I played with her when she was at Falcons. She just messaged me and said would I come play here and I stupidly said yes,” Lind laughed.

“I really like it, I wasn’t actually playing Falcons so I wanted to keep playing netball locally.”

Lind said she initially just wanted to keep playing at a local level to keep up her fitness but has since been a regular for the Falcons as Covid continues to affect the VNL.

Wing attack Liv Sinclair is another key cog in Corowa Rutherglen’s unbeatable line-up, who is another former Falcon.

Sinclair first made her Falcons debut in 2016 when North Albury Hopper Em Browne pulled out of the team last minute.

Sinclair said former Wodonga Bulldog and current Falcon Jane Cook messaged her knowing she had relocated to Melbourne and asked if she wanted to play.

“I was 18 at the time and thought I’d be in the U19 Division, but they were like ‘no, you’ve got to play Championship’ so I played, and the whole team was either an ex Super Netball player or they’re playing in it now.”