Premiers and past winner complete exciting field of 2023 Shelley Maher nominees
25 November 2023
Lacrosse Australia have announced that 2021 winner Woodville’s Olivia Parker, Footscray’s Stephanie Kelly and Subiaco’s Bailey Eastman are this years nominees for the 2023 Shelley Maher Trophy which is award to the Women’s Field player adjudged Australia’s Best & Fairest.
The Shelley Maher Trophy is awarded to Women’s player who scored the highest number of best player votes during the course of the Australian field lacrosse season, with the votes awarded in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia aggregated to determine a winner.
The winner of South Australia’s Bonython Medal and this year’s South Australian nominee is Olivia Parker from the Woodville Lacrosse Club. Parker has been a dominate force on the South Australian club scene for a number of years and 2023 was no different. Parker – the 2021 Shelley Maher winner – put up another dominant season for Woodville with her complete game and elite athleticism leading Woodville to a preliminary final berth. “The collective performance of our team always lifted whenever Olivia took the field. Over the course of the season, Olivia’s leadership skills flourished both on and off the field. Her unparalleled work ethic and determination was second to none. each week, she not only pushed herself to the limit for the team, but she consistently Demonstrated tactical abilities, always trying to identify the extra one percenters that could provide an edge over the opposition.” said Woodville Coach Dean Forman. This would be the second time that Parker has claimed the Shelley Maher after winning the Trophy in 2021, the only time a Woodville player has won the award.
The winner of Victoria’s Jeannie Matthews Perpetual Trophy and this year’s Victorian nominee is Stephanie Kelly from the Footscray Lacrosse Club. Having returned from the US, Kelly starred for the undefeated Footscray sid scoring 34 goals against 13 games to lead a potent Footscray offence all season. Kelly was rarely held out of games and grew in strength over the course of the season with 16 goals coming in her final 3 games, including a bag of 5 goals in the Grand Final. “Steph returned to FLC after 5 years at college and her impact on the senior playing group was immediate. Steph is not only a player of exceptional skill and talent, but also someone who embodies the true spirit of sportsmanship. She consistently demonstrates integrity, respect, and fairness both on and off the field” said Footscray Coach Meghan Mollison. This would be the second time that a Footscray player has claimed the Shelley Maher after Rebecca Lane won the award for the Bulldogs in 2022.
The winner of Western Australia’s LWA Trophy and this year’s Western Australian nominee is Bailey Eastman from the Subiaco Lacrosse Club. Eastman was dominant for Subiaco throughout 2023, starring in defence all season. Drawing the toughest matchups on a week-to-week basis Eastman excelled at closing down some of Western Australia’s best whilst also proving to be just as damaging in transition creating opportunities for her teammates whilst also putting away 26 goals herself across a season which saw Subiaco claim back-to-back titles. “Bailey had a real break out season this year. She challenges herself to be better each week at training and we have seen the results of that work . Bailey generally plays on the oppositions best player and has did an outstanding job week in week out, while still having an impact with the ball. Bailey is also a leader, leading with her elite work ethic whilst keeping a huge smile on face her face which lifts all of her teammates around her.” said Subiaco Coach Gavin Leavy. Eastman will be the first ever winner of the Shelley Maher Trophy from Subiaco.
The trophy is named in honour of Shelley Maher and was instituted in 2012 by the Australian lacrosse Association. As the last President of Women’s Lacrosse Australia (2001-2009) Shelley committed to excellence in all areas of administration. In her home State of Victoria Shelley was President of Women’s Lacrosse Victoria (1998-2001), and was elected a Life Member in 2001, and in 2009 of Women’s Lacrosse Australia. She was active as a player with Williamstown Women’s Lacrosse Club and represented Victoria in senior competition (2002, 2005). Shelley was an Australia Lacrosse Association Director (2007-2010), and the Women’s Director on the Federation of International Lacrosse (2008-2017). In 2017 Shelley was awarded the World Lacrosse Lifetime Achiever Award.
The winner of the Shelley Maher Trophy will be announced on the Lacrosse Australia Facebook page on Friday, 1 December 2023 at 6.00pm (AEDT).
