A mother of four, and immensely popular figure at the club, Naomi said it was funny to look back and see how she viewed the likes of her own idols, Christine Hooppell and Karen Fuller.
“Back in the day I was the young girl looking up to these women. Now I am playing with the daughters of many of those I played with,” she said.
Admitting to being one of the “mature ladies” at the club, Naomi said in recent times she had gained a little more company as Rachel Whipp, Kristy Roulston and Anna Oliver (Palmer) had returned to play, along with Linda Rasmussen, who she admitted was a little bit younger.
“Our B-reserve team is a mixture, Kristy and Anna are playing with us, but before that I was an oldest member of the team,” she said.
With only the one premiership to show for her 200 games, she recalls fondly the B-Reserve success, alongside her sister Lynsey, in 2004.
“We played against Echuca and beat them, it was so good,” she said.
Naomi is one of five children, she has three older brothers — Damien, Adam and Justin — and her younger sister, Lynsey.
She is also mother to four — who are probably the reason she wasn’t ticking over 300 games on Saturday, instead of 200.
She wouldn’t change a thing though as 12-year-old Amon, Maya, 9, seven-year-old Ellie, and Addison, 4, were all there to share the occasion.
She and husband Trent, an under-18 premiership player with Rochester, have had an on again/off again relationship with the club as parenthood took pride of place.
Naomi started when she first finished high school, but stopped when she had kids and missed 10 seasons.
“Amon was born 2009, I didn’t play the 2010 season, but then I played with my sister for two years later at Lockington,” she said.
Naomi said she felt at home in the B-Reserve competition, where all her seasons — except for B-grade season — have been spent.
“I didn’t love it as much in B-grade. It is a social thing for me. I wouldn’t call myself a smart player, I am still learning,” she said.
Naomi said having kids became her job and understandably, she put them first.
“They’ve gotten a little bit older, and a little bit easier, so I am back,” she said.
Maya is the keenest of the foursome in regard to netball, last year helped when she won a grand final in her first season of netball — aside from the net, set, go competition.
Music is more of a passion for the family, Amon plays football but prefers the drums, Maya is a pianist, Ellie is a dancer who dabbled in netball and Addison follows closely in the footsteps of her elder siblings.
“We are a musical family, Trent’s brother Nigel plays the drums, as did their dad Alan (Riordan),” she said.
Alan Riordan, Naomi’s father-in-law, encouraged the kids with their music.
He was a member of Bamawm band, The Enchanters, with his brother Robert, and older brother Keith was an accomplished recording artist.
Campbell is a well-known Rochester sporting name, Naomi’s aunt Julie was a good netballer and her cousin, Jeremy Campbell, played in a premiership with Rochester.
Of her 200-game achievement she said leading up to the match she was “a bit nervous”, having not played since the season was abandoned because of COVID-19 in 2021.
“Our last game was when the season was called off on a Thursday night and that was the end of the season. I’ve been stuck on 199 games for a fair while,” she said.
“So getting it out of the way on Saturday was nice.”
