Sport
29 June, 2025
A career of highs for netball legend Tracey Dark
Stawell Warriors’ legend Tracey Dark notched up her 500th club game for the club playing in C-Reserve against the Warrack Eagles last Saturday, June 21, a match they won by 16 goals.
Dark has an illustrious history in netball, playing as a goal defence and goalkeeper, notching up well over 700 games.
Before joining the Warriors in 1993, Dark played 14 seasons of netball, 12 of which were for Rupanyup.
Playing for the Warriors between 1993 and 1998, before they disbanded and joined Stawell in 1999, Dark won five best and fairests, two of which were for the Ararat District Netball Association and was runner-up on one occasion.
During that time, she won a premiership in 1995, 1996, 1997 as a player and coach, and 1998 as a coach.
Since 1999, Dark added another seven best and fairests, five runner-ups and three more premierships and was involved as a coach for 18 years up until 2022.
Two of those winning best and fairest were league ones: 2001 in A-Grade for the Wimmera Netball Association and one in 2021 for C-Grade in the Wimmera Football Netball League.
Dark was made a life member of Stawell in 2007 and the Wimmera Netball Association in 2014.
She has filled various roles in the club and outside of the club for many years, from netball director to coach. She held a position as the Ararat District Netball Association president.
She is a badged umpire, has been a club and league trainer, has been a Wimmera League Representative, an interleague player and has been inducted into the WFNL 200-game club.
“I feel grateful and lucky that I have been able to play for so long,” Dark said.
“I am also lucky I haven’t had many injuries, as I got my first ankle injury in my mid-thirties and I have worn ankle braces ever since.
Dark credits fitness for her longevity.
“Over the last ten years I have done a lot more gym work, focusing on gym classes and making sure I can do what I want to do,” Dark said.
“I can’t expect to be picked on reputation, so I need to stay fit enough and capable enough to take to the court and do what I need to do to be part of the team.
“I keep doing what I need to do throughout the whole year from running to gym work to make sure my body is capable enough to do these things.”
One of Dark’s playing highlights was playing with her daughter, Ashleigh in their 2010 premiership.
Dark retired in 2022, and was one of the lucky ones to retire with a premiership, but it didn’t last long. She found a way back due to wanting to help the club when they were down on numbers.
“When I commit to something, I need to commit properly and in 2023 after seeing the club was short on numbers I decided to come out of retirement and help with a one-off game,” she recalled.
“More injuries hit the club, and I was asked if I wanted to play a few more so I could qualify for finals, and so I did, and we made the preliminary final.
“The following year, the club asked if they could qualify me again so I played 13 games that year and at the end of last year, I was seven games short of 500, so I thought that as I was feeling good, it would be silly to stop there, so I decided to play on.”
“The last few years I have felt the fittest I have ever been, and playing on wasn’t just all about me,” Dark added.
“It’s also a good teaching ground to help bring the young girls along and starting to watch them thrive is great.”
Dark loves giving feedback and helping players grow.
“I can’t sit on the sidelines and just watch and clap,” she said.
“I always give feedback to the young ones and little tips I have learned along the way and try to pass on information that is helpful for their game.
“On court, I hear players yelling out things for me off court, and that benefits me, so I try to do the same for as many people as I can and give positive feedback.”
Despite all the playing and coaching accolades, she has accomplished over many years, Dark said teaching the girls and providing the knowledge has been a highlight.
“One of the things I enjoyed the most is the coaching sessions I used to run on a Friday night for whoever wanted to come,” she said.
“I was able to break things down into very simple terms for the juniors and was able to show people what they were doing, and what they should be doing.
“The number of times I have seen players I watched get something out of it has been wonderful.”
Dark recalled one of those moments.
“There was a girl in one of my training sessions, Jaz Warren,” she said.
“On a Friday night, I taught her to catch the ball, balance and practice balancing holding onto the ball and turning and throwing it back in and the next day, she did that in a game and her face was beaming.”
“She was stoked and when it happened turned around and looked at me and her father commented, ‘How good is that?’, she added.
“You can’t buy that stuff, and it’s awesome seeing girls develop and implement things into their game that you have taught them.”
Dark also recalled another moment that happened last year in their narrow C-Grade grand final loss to Horsham Saints.
“That Friday night session, I taught Danieka and Kirby Clayton,” Dark recalled.
“Last year, I played with Kirby in the grand final, ten years after she had attended one of my sessions, and it was exciting to be able to do that.
“Those things excite me, being able to pass on feedback and experience and seeing players grow from it.”
Whether or not Dark plays next year remains to be seen, but regardless of what happens, the advice and invaluable lessons she can give to everyone at the club will continue for many years to come.
Tracey Dark’s Profile
Nickname: Dark Horse, Darky
DOB: 18/02/1966
Best & Fairest
1995, 1996, 1998 (Warriors A Grade)
1996, 1998 (ADNA A Grade League)
2001 (WNA A Grade League)
2000, 2001, 2007 (Stawell A Grade)
2011 (Stawell B Grade)
2021 (Stawell C Grade)
2021 (WFNL C Grade League)
R/U Best & Fairest
1997 (Warriors A-Grade)
2002 (Stawell A Grade)
2009, 2010, 2014 (Stawell B Grade)
2022 (Stawell C Grade)
Coach
1997, 1998 (Warriors)
2001, 02, 03, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22 (Stawell)
Runners-up
1998 (Warriors)
2002 (Coach) 2014, 2015 (Stawell)
Life Member
2007 (Stawell), 2014 (WNA League)
Roles
ADNA League President, General Committee/Vice President, WFL League Commissioner, Badged Umpire, Club & League Trainer, Team Captaincy, Wimmera League Representative/Interleague Player, Inducted WFNL 200 game player.
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