By Marcus Uhe
Silence descended over the hundreds watching as the Outer East Football Netball A Grade netball grand final came to a dramatic pause in proceedings.
Narre Warren led by two goals with just minutes remaining in the gripping contest, but for a moment in time, no one was looking at the scoreboard.
Narre Warren’s playing coach, Erin Bell, collapsed to the ground clutching her ankle after an unfortunate tangle with her opponent Kaitlyn Black in the Magpies’ goal circle.
The brilliant Mt Evelyn goalkeeper and the former Australian Diamond had been engaged in an enthralling head-to-head battle, showing all their smarts and experience to bump, block and bounce off one-another all game, but even Black looked devastated for her foe as she grimaced in pain.
Bell had returned from a season on the sidelines in 2023 having given birth to her second child late in the year, and finished the 2022 season in pain of a different variety, as her Magpies fell one-goal short of the A-Grade premiership in an extra time thriller against Olinda Ferny Creek in the grand final.
Now, the inspirational leader, who battled illness during the week to even take her place on the court, was carried off the court by Narre Warren’s support staff, and reduced to a cheerleading capacity as she grimaced through pain with the injured foot propped on a white plastic chair.
As she left the court, down walked Gabrielle Dwyer to collect Bell’s bib, and fill the void at Goal Shooter for the remainder of the game.
Dwyer, the athletic leaping defender who was awarded best on court in last season’s grand final win, and was a rebounding force at Narre Warren’s defensive end for much of the previous hour, and calmly stepped into the role to pair with Chelsea Tonna in the Magpies’ goal circle.
With Grace Ioelu, Narre Warren’s leading scorer in 2024, unavailable for selection, the Magpies were short on options to fill Bell’s void, and to combat the height and athleticism of Black.
But Dwyer knew the assignment, and was as cool as you could be in the middle of such drama.
“I definitely wasn’t feeling good about it, but I thought, ‘we’ll give it a crack, there’s nothing else we could do,’” Dwyer said of the moment.
“Erin was sick during the week, so we did practice with me going forward.
“(Erin is) the soul of our team and to see her go down after how much work she’s put in to get back to playing this year, was heartbreaking.
“I knew Chelsea (Tonna) would also help me out down there.”
Tonna took on the scoring duties and caught fire with a series of huge baskets, while Dwyer occupied Black and used her smarts to help set her teammate up for a series of made shots.
In the final minute of the game, with the Magpies ahead by a solitary goal, she helped to take a vital 10 seconds off the clock with a series of passes in and out of the goal circle with Brittany Mashado and Sophie Hennessey, before calmly stepping forward to own the moment with a vital goal that gave the Magpies a two-goal buffer at 43-41.
The Rovers scored a quick basket down the other end to cut the margin back to one, but Dwyer’s penultimate goal ensured the Magpies had their beaks in front when the final siren confirmed their incredible victory.
Dwyer’s heroics earned her the Anita Woods medal as the best player on the court for the second consecutive year, further solidifying her reputation as one of the best players in the competition, and her family’s legacy as one of the most influential to wear the black and white.
She felt the medal should have been hanging around Tonna’s neck, and was more pleased about having performed her role for the team, than the individual accolade.
“I don’t know if I deserved it today,” she said.
“It’s more of a team game, and I’m happier to have the premiership medal than the best-on-court medal.
“Chelsea was insane, the whole moment has led up to her killing it in the goal circle.
“She’s a teammate that’s got everyone’s back and I’m so proud of her at the end there, that was awesome.”
