South Warrnambool's Ally O'Connor wins 2023 Hampden league Dot Jenkins medal

O'Connor wasted little time acclimatising herself back within the team and the league this season, the talented midcourter winning her second Dot Jenkins medal in three seasons on Sunday while standing on the precipice of a potential maiden premiership medal ahead of next week's grand final.

O'Connor polled 31 votes in the Hampden league best and fairest count, to finish ahead of runner-up and teammate Annie Blackburn on 23 and North Warrnambool Eagles' Maddison Vardy on 22.

The 23-year-old, who won the award in 2021, said it was an "unexpected surprise" to see her name at the top of the leaderboard, with her head and heart believing for a Blackburn win.

"I just rate her so incredibly highly, I think she does the work of seven players on court," O'Connor said of her teammate.

Similarly Blackburn, who assumed the strength of South's line-up would see them all take votes off each other, held high praise for O'Connor.

"Ally's absolutely incredible, she just provides so much in attack, she's always there, always an option," the goal attack said. "It's been really great having her back in our team."

O'Connor returned to the Roosters line-up this year after focusing on Victorian Netball League commitments in Geelong, where she lives and studies, in 2022.

The nursing student, who credited her Dot Jenkins win to her teammates, said playing within one of the league's most talented list at South made her job easier.

"Netball isn't just a keepings-off game, it's quite a smart game," she said. "So when you've got seven people on the court who are doing their job, you just focus on that one thing.

"Having seven incredible players (on court), it's such a good feeling."

After taking up a post beside coach Will Jamison on the bench during South's drought-breaking open flag last year, O'Connor now has a chance to write her own name in the premiership history books in Saturday's grand final against Cobden.

"It's my first senior grand final," she said. "When we won the second semi final (last Saturday) I got a bit emotional and the girls were rallying around me because they've obviously played in one and I haven't yet.

"It does mean a lot, and people might look at it like they're just going back-to-back but it's more than that.

"Everyone is so passionate about this team and we're working so incredibly hard, I think this year we've worked harder than most."

O'Connor said the Roosters came into the 2023 season "committed for more" after winning last year's premiership, which had shown in the team's dominant and consistent home-and-away campaign and first finals win.

"Extra training sessions, extra recovery, looking after ourselves, coming to trainings with 100 per cent intensity and I think it's showing on court," she said.

For O'Connor, a year spent away from South Warrnambool in 2022 made the heart grow fonder for her beloved Roosters family.

"Being away last year, it was hard and I probably didn't realise that until I was doing it," she said. "It was good to have the year off, but now I know, as cheesy as it sounds, this is home for me, I love it, love everyone around here."

O'Connor's Dot Jenkins win caps off a brilliant year at both Hampden Football Netball League and Victorian Netball League level.

Playing for Geelong Cougars in the VNL, she was named in its championship team of the year, while also competing at the Australian Netball Championships with Northern Territory Storm.

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