Hannah Crawley is loving life back as captain of Shepparton’s A-grade netball side

She’s also the first to stick up for her girls when their heads drop.

Leadership is woven into the rungs of her DNA chain and 10 years on from first earning the honour at the tender age of 20, Crawley is back as captain for the 2024 Goulburn Valley League campaign under a whole new Bears regime.

Stacey Thompson has taken the coaching reins from Tracey Brereton and Crawley has whacked the proverbial armband back on for a brakes-off, foot-down sprint in hopes of attaining that elusive A-grade premiership.

It makes a lot of sense if you consider how last season panned out.

The duo linked up to land a B-grade flag for the Bears, providing a red-letter day Crawley won’t soon forget.

“Last year I decided to play B-grade because I was coming back after going through a bit of trauma and I wanted a bit of a fun year to get my groove back,” she said.

“I’d actually decided to start playing defence which I never had done previously — I’ve been a goaler the past 12 to 13 years before last year.

“Because I never played it before, I went back into B-grade and there’s a lot of girls that are very loyal club people there. Anyways, we ended up winning the premiership last year.

“I’ve played in two previous A-grade losses which was really heartbreaking, so to get that premiership win, there’s nothing like that.

“With the group of girls that we had, it was amazing — that would be my highlight for sure.”

Learning the art of defence, or elegant restraint, has come swiftly to Crawley.

She began as “a bit of a basketballer” and likely sowed her guarding roots then, but as her parents weren’t huge fans of the sport, Crawley instead walked into Shepparton Football Netball Club at 15 years of age.

Fifteen years later, she remains a Bear.

The rangy goaler-turned-bastion has essentially spent half her life at the club she loves, placing diamond value on the morals that Shepparton is steeped in.

“I’ve remained loyal the whole time and I think that’s a testament to this club,” she said.

“I’ve been through a fair bit which was when I had a few years off and the club was always there in the background always supporting me.

“It’s not all about on the court with them, there’s a lot of behind the scenes, wellbeing things. And I’ve also formed a lot of close friendships that’ve kept me around as well.”

In a decade-and-a-half, Crawley has undoubtedly forged some tungsten-strong friendships on the court.

As she’s transitioned into a defensive role though, a new, perhaps unexpected bond has begun to form by osmosis.

“My fellow defender this year, I played with her last year in B-grade and I don’t know if she wants to, but we have a fair bit of banter,” she said with a laugh.

“I love her to bits, she’s a young kid and I’ve really enjoyed being there for her on the court.

“It’s been a different dynamic playing with a defender and I’ve loved playing with Keeley (O’Dwyer).”

Despite being a defender nowadays, playing the lion’s share of her career in attack has given Crawley a legible understanding of the craft.

She can appreciate an ice-cold killer under the ring.

And when it comes to the GVL, there’s none quite like the subzero shooter Kim Borger.

“I played with her years ago when she first came to the club and I was a goaler then,” she said.

“I didn’t get to play that many games with her because I was coming back from an injury, but there’s nothing like watching her on your team.

“I’ve almost lost reality being a defender now and watching her, because I kind of tune out and watch that and then I forget to focus on my game.

“She’s so skilful ... you don’t see much of that in that calibre.”

Crawley is no slouch, either.

Her versatility at either end of the court makes her a Swiss army knife of sorts, so if the Bears start backsliding, it’s Captain Courageous to the rescue.

And that’s both on and off the court.

Crawley loves playing the part and, whether it’s an extended hand to a fallen teammate or an arm around a mate who needs a pick-me-up, her fellow Bears know their “big sister” is there to share the load.

“I really enjoy playing with younger athletes, checking in with them — not only the performance and on the court, but also the wellbeing side as well,” she said.

“I really enjoy watching the growth throughout the year with the young kids because they’ve got so much development to give.

“I love to be the person backing the other person in or being the loudest supporter on the sidelines for them.

“It doesn’t matter where I am — on the court or off it — I’ll always have my team’s best interests at heart.”