St Kilda Shark onballer Alex Whitehead wins league medal

Ahead of their grand final against Eastern Devils, the Sharks had three of the major winners at the competition awards night.

St Kilda Sharks Amanda Walsh (left) and Alex Whitehead.

It was a shipshape night for the Sharks.

Alex Whitehead won the competition best and fairest, Amanda Walsh was runner-up and Georgia Harris topped the goalkicking with 34 as the St Kilda club featured prominently at the South Eastern Women’s Football awards last Tuesday at the Last Piece Café in Mulgrave.

It put the St Kilda Sharks in good heart ahead of their Division 1 grand final against Eastern Devils on Sunday at Shepley Oval in Dandenong.

Whitehead polled 19 votes, reflecting her consistent season: she was named in the Sharks’ best players in nine of her 12 matches.

Teammate Walsh was on 18.

“No, I wasn’t expecting it. It was pretty surprising,’’ the midfielder was saying on Thursday.

“We had a good season. We didn’t lose much and that’s always the sign of a good season.’’

She was also named in the centre in the team of the year.

Amanda Walsh playing VFL W for the Sharks.

Whitehead played junior football with Hampton Rovers until she got too old and had to stop after Under 12s (it was a time when youth girls football hadn’t been established).

She went off and played netball, cricket, soccer and tennis, eventually deciding to put all her energies into tennis. It took her to the US on a college scholarship.

When she returned to Melbourne she resumed playing football, joining the Sharks in 2014.

Since then she’s ridden the thicks and thins and the high and lows of the club.

The Sharks played in the VFL W, but dropped out at the end of 2017, apparently lacking the confidence of AFL Victoria to go on.

St Kilda Sharks goalkicker Georgia Harris.

It led to an exodus of players who wanted to keep playing in the state league. Some returned this year.

“I think it was really sad they didn’t get a licence (for 2018) considering they’d been in (Victoria women’s football) from the beginning,’’ Whitehead said. “It wasn’t the best when half the club left. But we’ve kept the club going. A few oldies like me stayed, we had an influx of new people and the support staff, the coaches and the committee, stayed strong. Really proud of how we’ve done that.’’

The Sharks had four other players in the team of the year: Walsh, Harris, Jess Gardner and Taylah Watson.

Sunday’s grand final starts at 3pm.