Port Fairy signs Jemmah Lambevski for 2024 HFNL season

The netballer has signed at her former club for the 2024 Hampden league season after three years at Warrnambool and District league club Old Collegians, two of which were as an A grade coach.

The 26-year-old, who has lived in Port Fairy her whole life, said a Gardens Oval homecoming made sense after she and husband Tom recently took on co-ownership at Oak & Anchor Hotel alongside Ally Richardson while the chance to get involved with an "exciting" netball program under new head coach Lisa Arundell also appealed to the midcourter.

"With that work-lifestyle change, I think it's really important I'm back home and it feels like the perfect timing with all those big life events," she told The Standard. "And with everything exciting happening at the club, I think it's too good an opportunity to turn down the chance to be able to play under someone of Lisa's calibre."

Lambevski was thankful for her experiences at the Warriors, which included a runner-up finish in the 2022 league best and fairest award.

"It was a really hard decision to leave Port Fairy in the first place... I thought I'd always be a one-club player," she said. "But it's been a really rewarding experience to leave the nest and go over to Old Collegians for the last few years.

"I found a little bit more out about myself, not just as a player but as a coach, which was something I never really thought I'd get the opportunity to do.

"Hopefully it should only make me a better player come next year."

Lambevski is one of four outgoing Warrnambool and District league A grade coaches to sign at Port Fairy this summer, joining Arundell (Nirranda) and recruits Stacy Dunkley (Russells Creek) and Bec Mitchell (Panmure).

She hopes to bring her leadership and experiences to the playing group, without the added stress of being the coach.

"It's going to be nice and refreshing, losing that little bit of brain space is actually going to help me focus on the job I need to do to get the team where it needs to be," she said.

Watching first-hand the buzz the club is cultivating within the small seaside community, Lambevski is hoping to contribute to bringing an exciting brand of netball to the Gardens Oval courts.

"I think you can probably see a real shift at the club, they're really trying to focus on getting locals back involved with the club," she said.

"The club's in a really good spot based on the boys' (football) season and Lisa's only going to take the netball side and senior and junior development to the next level next year.

"It's always been nice in the last few years to see the town painted in purple and gold over the final series... knowing they're starting to get those few (senior) wins now to get that buzz around the town with the sort of people they've brought back in will be really exciting."

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