South Barwon star Ellen Doyle on winning second Geelong A Grade best-and-fairest while battling endometriosis

Some local players miss games for weddings or holidays, Ellen Doyle sat out two matches in a hospital bed. The joint best-and-fairest winner opens up on her win against the odds.

Ellen Doyle was joint winner of the Geelong A-grade netball best-and-fairest. Picture: AFL Barwon

Winning two Geelong A Grade netball best-and-fairests in three seasons is a fantastic achievement in itself.

It is even more remarkable doing it while battling a challenging disease with no cure.

South Barwon star Ellen Doyle has been suffering from endometriosis since 2021, a disease that affects 10 per cent of women worldwide.

Caused by tissue growing on the outside of the uterus, it causes abdominal and pelvic pain, and in some cases leads to infertility.

Some local players miss games during the year for holidays or weddings.

Doyle sat out two matches this season in a hospital bed.

“One of the weekends I had a little ‘episode’ as I call them on the Friday night and I was in hospital for over a week and luckily we had a bye against North Shore which was good, and got to rest a little bit and then back on court,” Doyle said.

How’d she go that next game? Just a lazy 50 goals leading her side to victory against GFNL powerhouse Newtown & Chillwell.

And that was just a standard weekend for the sharpshooter, taking out the hotshots award with 733 goals in 16 games across the regular season along with being joint A-Grade best-and-fairest winner with Colac young gun Eliza Cahill.

South Barwon's Ellen Doyle and Colac's Eliza tied for the A-Grade best-and-fairest. Picture: AFL Barwon

“It is a quite severe condition that a lot of females that probably are playing netball in the GFL do have and it has put a lot of setbacks in my netball career,” Doyle said.

“But I have been able to overcome and prove to people that no matter what challenges I’ve faced with fitness and health, you can overcome everything.

“Kind of do it for endo girls as well out there.”

Doyle’s ‘episodes’ can happen at any time and with little warning. Her condition has unfortunately impacted her promising netball career, having been at the Geelong Cougars for five years – winning a division one premiership last season.

“I like to push through but it has definitely challenged my netball career a lot, which is why I’m probably not playing at that VNL level anymore. But I’m really happy to still be able to get out on court and do it for myself and do it for my teammates as well,” Doyle said.

While she faced her fair share of battles in 2024, her disease also took a signficant toll on her in 2022 – the year she claimed her first league best-and-fairest.

“It is crazy to think that my health was probably more severe when I won these kind of things, so it is a little testament for myself for pushing through and getting through the season,” she said.

“But I wouldn’t be able to do it without such amazing coaches and players at South.”

Ellen Doyle with her Hotshot award. Picture: AFL Barwon

Doyle knows there is plenty of other girls struggling with endometriosis, and she is living proof that you can still achieve great things with the disease.

She has formed a tight bond with some other young girls in the South Barwon community with the condition.

And Doyle has a message for anyone battling the disease.

“Definitely push through, I know it is harder said than done sometimes but to be able to face these obstacles as hard as you can and just know that there is so many girls out there that are in a similar boat, to always reach out,” Doyle said.

“I have met a few girls in the GFL that have it, we actually have a lot of juniors at South that have it as well so we sort of have a little group together which is really nice and kind of get each other through those obstacles as well.

“It has been really good but overall I’m pretty proud of myself.”

Originally published as South Barwon star Ellen Doyle on winning second Geelong A Grade best-and-fairest while battling endometriosis