Racking up 100 games for the Seymour Lions is a significant occasion, but for Georgia Velt it was made all the more significant due to recent setbacks she has faced.
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‘‘It felt really good,’’ Velt said.
‘‘I’ve had a bad year with injuries, so it was nice to get the games up.’’
Velt’s 2018 season came to an abrupt finish midway through the year when she tore a ligament in her ankle, before missing another three months at the start of 2019 season with a torn knee ligament.
‘‘It was actually quite scary to get back on the court,’’ Velt admitted.
‘‘I had no game in between (the injuries).’’
Velt played her milestone match in B-reserve against Rochester in round 11 and controlled the centre in a close 37-35 win over the Tigers.
The 20-year-old, who turns 21 in just a few weeks, is at home in the centre, along with wing attack, and has played five seasons with the Lions, starting in under-17s as a 16-year-old.
And with all five Seymour netball teams sitting in the top six at the moment, Velt said there was a good feeling around the club.
‘‘We’re finally starting to merge together,’’ she said.
‘‘There were a few years we were not so strong, so it’s nice to come out and show them this year.’’
Velt joins a number of other Seymour players to have recently celebrated milestone matches.
In round 10 it was 19-year-old Courtney Aldous who racked up 100 games for the club.
The B-grade player, who stars in goal defence, said the acknowledgment from the club and her teammates was nice.
‘‘Hopefully I’ve got 100 more in me,’’ she laughed.
Aldous has played her entire netball career with the Lions, starting in 2014 in under 17s before moving up to the higher grades.
She credits Seymour with having a strong ‘‘one club’’ feel to it that has kept her coming back each year.
‘‘It’s a great group of girls to be around,’’ she said.
And in her third season at the club, under-17s star Rani Curry notched up 50 games in round eight against Shepparton Swans.
She said it was a weird feeling when she finally played her 50th match.
‘‘It just felt odd to think that I’ve been playing so long,’’ Curry said.
The wing attack/centre also credits the Lions for providing a strong learning environment for the up-and-coming players at the club.
‘‘They’re all a great bunch of girls,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s a great environment to be around.’’
Curry has impressed for the Lions this season and was selected in the under-17 GVL interleague side, which made it all the way to the semi-finals in last month’s Goulburn Region state title.
And we could be seeing Curry play at a much higher level next season, as she looks to try out for the senior team, as well as the Victoria Netball League.
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