Kaylin Van Greunen was the main attraction at Friday night’s Netball Blue and Gold Awards, taking home two of the most coveted honours.
The evening was a glittering commemoration of talent, dedication, and collaborative successes throughout the Bull Sharks’ 2023 season.
The night served a dual purpose – to celebrate Bond’s successful return to Queensland’s top-tier league while recognising the season’s best individual efforts across multiple tiers of competition.
This year, Bull Sharks Most Valuable Player awards were decided by data collected over the course of the season.
Each player’s positive and negative contributions are tallied to produce a numerical value.
‘Gav Points’ as they’re known take their name from Sapphire Assistant Coach and chief statistician Gavin Clarke.
It came as no surprise to learn star 17-year-old goal shooter Kaylin Van Greunen led the way for the Sapphire team with 504 Gav Points.
Van Greunen was sensational all season. She contributed an incredible 473 goals, 54 offensive rebounds and 8 goal assists across the year.
In addition to her MVP award, Van Greunen also took home the trophy as Bull Shark of the Year.
This prestigious honour was bestowed upon Van Greunen for her exemplification of the club’s values, further underscoring her exceptional contributions to the Bull Sharks’ season.
Having previously only played for the Darling Downs Panthers, the Toowoomba local left all she’d known to jump on the Bond bandwagon at the end of 2022.
Proving her commitment to Bond Netball, Van Greunen would spend up to six hours a week just to get to and from training.
"It feels pretty special to win these awards,” said Van Greunen.
“Playing for Bond this year has been a really great experience for me and I wouldn't want to spend so much time traveling for any other team."
Former Darling Downs coach Bec Stower also joined the Bull Sharks at the beginning of this year, aiding in a seamless transition for Van Greunen.
“I was so happy to have Bec leading our team this year,” she said.
“She’d been an incredible coach to me for the past three years and I had another really great season under her guidance this year too.
"Going from Ruby to Sapphire was pretty scary in itself, but the Bond community was just so welcoming, and it definitely made the transition much easier for me.”
In addition to Van Greunen’s success within the Bull Sharks, her 2023 season also saw her awarded Netball Queensland 19U Player’s Player award. She was also a finalist for the Katie Walker Medal which is awarded to the most valuable player in the HART Sapphire Series.
Another major performer at the awards night was Harriet Nicholson who received the Ruby team’s MVP award with an almost unbelievable tally of 883 Gav Points for her powerful, determined defensive work.
“It feels pretty unreal to finish the year on a personal high like this,” said Nicholson.
“And it’s not just my hard work, but everyone’s group effort that has paid off this season.”
Nicholson - a music teacher whose strong and dynamic presence on court is sometimes difficult to reconcile against her classical violin training - recalled a rigorous but rewarding move to Bond from Darling Downs this year.
“Honestly, I found the transition to Bond to be gruelling,” she said.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been worked so hard in a preseason before, but it really pushed all of us to become much stronger athletes and I think that showed throughout the season.”
In addition to the performance accolades, Bond Netball offered another major individual honour, the Bull Sharks Spirit Award.
This award is bestowed upon the player who best embodies the spirit of the game, exuding energy, skill, sisterhood, support, and a desire to improve her game.
The 2023 Spirit Award was presented to Jorja Gisinger.
While she started off the season as a Bull Sharks training partner, as the season unfolded Gisinger proved herself as an outstanding member of the squad and displayed exemplary commitment on and off the court.
FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
Bull Sharks Player of the Year – Kaylin Van Greunen
Bull Sharks Spirit Award – Jorja Gisinger
SAPPHIRE
MVP
1st – Kaylin Van Greunen
2nd – Maddie Ryan
3rd – Ella Spencer
Coaches’ Award – Ella Spencer
Players Player – Hannah Le Sage
RUBY
MVP
1st – Harriet Nicholson
2nd – Tehya Hyssett
3rd – Abby Boland
Coaches’ Award – Tehya Hyssett
Players' Player – Molly Parry
Development Pathways/Elite Premier League
Most Consistent – Jorja Gisinger
Most Improved - Sienna Hyssett
U18s State Titles
Coaches’ Award – Xanthe Maxwell
U16s State Titles
Coaches’ Award - Roma Talaapitaga
Representative Recognition Awards
Queensland 17U
Tehya Hyssett
Joesi Gisinger
Elka Macaulay
Queensland 19U
Dakota Newson
Kaylin Van Greunen
Abby Boland
ACT 19U
Chloe Arnold
Queensland Suns Open Mixed
Ella Spencer
Queensland 17U (undefeated Gold Medal winners)
Bec Stower - Head Coach
Amanda Kelly - Assistant Coach
Queensland Suns Men's Open Assistant Coach, Australian U20 Men's Head Coach
Gavin Clarke