Shepparton Bears netball icon Hannah Crawley recently celebrated her 200th appearance for the side.
Shepparton stalwart Hannah Crawley recently celebrated her 200th A-grade appearance for her beloved Bears - but the netball star remains as hungry as ever to make more history in maroon and gold.
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The Deakin Reserve side’s co-captain has garnered an enviable reputation as a true leader, noted for her dedication and passion on court as well as her contributions to team morale in the locker room.
A one-club player, the Bears legend has long since earned the respect of teammates and rivals alike, with her status among her peers reflected ahead of a recent Shepparton outing against neighbours Shepparton Swans.
In a demonstration of how her standing in the Goulburn Valley League (GVL) transcends club ties, both sides gave the 32-year-old a guard of honour before the local derby clash to mark her outstanding impact on the game in the region.
Coming into that encounter, her heroics had been marked by those within the upper echelons of the GVL, as she was bestowed with lifetime membership of the league to permanently reflect her achievements over the last 17 years.
First donning Bears colours in 2009 on her 16th birthday, she has risen to become a mainstay for the A-grade side - with a crowning moment in her career coming as she led her team to the A-grade premiership in 2025.
Looking back over the experience of skippering her club to glory, she admitted that she still finds it hard to put her feelings into words when it comes to what it meant to her to win the ultimate GVL prize.
“I get goosebumps whenever that day is mentioned, it was a complete and utter fairytale,” she said.
“We’d never won (an A-grade premiership) and I’d played in two losing ones before that.
“No one had really tipped us to win the flag last year coming into the season - most people had us sixth - and so to have the season that we did, with the girls that we did, it took me a long time to realise it was real.
“It is so hard to put words to that feeling, it was incredible.”
Shepparton’s Hannah Crawley lines up against Swans player Sophie Atkinson.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Now, Crawley has expressed her gratitude towards her club and the wider GVL for the recognition she has received in previous weeks.
“It did come a bit earlier than I’d expected as I thought my 200th was going to happen later in the year,” she said.
“It was very exciting, I never thought that I would get to 200, a premiership and a life membership - it’s been a bit surreal and overwhelming at the same time.
“It was so nice to have some of my family there, I felt really honoured to have everyone lining up there.
“I played my last milestone and started playing A-Grade career against the Swans versus a lot of those same girls in that team so the way it worked out, it felt like a ‘meant to be moment’ - special.”
Hannah Crawley has represented the Bears with distinction as A-grade captain.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
After the pleasantries of the ceremony marking her 200th appearance prior to the Swans clash, the mainstay quickly adopted her game-face with an imperious appearance en route to a 60-55 victory in a third win of the campaign so far.
Next up, the Bears travelled to Rochester in round five of the GVL, grabbing a 60-42 victory on the road and moving to a 4-1 record for the season.
“It’s been an interesting start to the season,” Crawley said.
“We don’t have the same team (as 2025); four girls have gone and a lot of juniors have come in, with a few in their first seasons of A-grade netball.
“The last few weeks have been really good in terms of connection and I feel like that’s starting to build - I love playing my role and watching the juniors stepping up.”
Looking ahead, one thing is for certain - Crawley’s storied association with the Bears will continue long into the future.
“I would love to play a part in a coaching role, I’ll always be with this club, I’ll always be loyal to this club,” she added.
With her legacy already firmly established in Shepparton, the Bears legend’s status as the first captain to deliver an A-grade premiership means she has left an indelible mark on the club she so dearly loves.
