The footy season might be over, but celebrations for Olinda-Ferny Creek are still underway following a recent awards night held by the club.
Captain of the Olinda-Ferny Creek women’s footy team Claire Hyett has added her first Best and Fairest trophy to a remarkable 2023 season.
Claire’s improvement as a player mirrors her team’s incredible rise to prominence in the Outer East Football Netball League.
Only three seasons ago the OFC women’s side was struggling to get enough people to play and early on, they barely troubled the scorer in the League’s Second Division.
Fast forward to 2023 and they proudly held the First Division premiership cup aloft as the best team in the whole League.
OFC scraped into the four this year before disposing of the undefeated Healesville in a semi final, and then thrashing Pakenham in the grand final.
Premiership coach Simon Gilson, who has won the Women’s “Coach of the Year” for the third time in a row, understands the true importance of Claire’s role in the team’s amazing improvement.
“Leadership is crucial in developing a group to believe they are capable of achieving success,“ he said.
Gilson recalls the early pioneering crew of Olinda women footballers as a “group of girls willing to learn and give it a crack with great energy”.
Claire provided this group with the direction and passion for the game.
As is the case with many sports leaders these days, Claire uses the captaincy to raise awareness about wider issues in her chosen recreational outlet and while she has a reputation for laying fierce tackles on the field.
She has also readily tackled big issues such as women’s mental health, wellbeing, gender equality, and the future of women’s football.
Claire sees the recent development of the AFLW as a massive step towards ensuring a future for women in football and hopes we can continue promoting and funding women’s sport from a community level to a national level.
She says it’s crucial “there’s a direct pathway from U9s girls through to senior women”
While Claire has become a leader and high profile footballer in the Outer East competition, ironically she “ wasn’t a big footy fan” and had very little interest in the game while growing up.
Her father Michael and brother Percy are both heavily involved with Olinda Cricket Club, although over the last few years Percy has emerged as a very promising player for The Bloods.
The premiership blueprint and foundations laid out by Claire and Simon have allowed Olinda to improve, reach the ultimate success in football, and grow to be a pivotal part of the Olinda community.
It’s been an incredible story of dedication and commitment to get better.
Meantime former Collingwood player Matt Scharenberg has won the Mick Scott Trophy for OFC’s best and fairest player for the third time in a row, and exciting Centre player, Holly Taubert, took home the Alma Fowler Medal for best A Grade netballer.
