The La Trobe University Hockey Club is pleased to announce two changes to our annual awards, in recognition of two women at the club who have made enormous contributions.
The first is the Women’s 3s Best & Fairest Shield, which to date has not been named. From 2024 onward, it will be known as the Taya Stuart Shield.
Taya played many years in the Ladies of La Trobe, was a leading goal scorer and helped win many premierships. She would later coach the Women’s 1s, including to a premiership. Taya is a role model, in her dedication to ensuring women, girls and queer people are welcome to our club, and her commitment to driving change through initiatives such as NAIDOC week.
The second is a new award, to complement the George Grouios Goal Scoring Shield, which will honour the women at the club with the most goals scored in a season. From 2024, this award will be known as the Sarah Dowling Goal Scoring Shield.
Sarah is a Life Member at the club, has the record of being our longest serving Secretary (seven years), and has spent many more years volunteering on the Committee. She was integral in the launch of our Junior program which now runs from Under 8s to Under 18s, and was our Clubperson of the Year in 2021. She is notoriously deadly on the field up forward, and was a key team player in the many premierships of the Ladies of La Trobe.
The Club recognises the leading women goal scorers going back two decades:
2024 – Sarah Dowling (11 goals)
2023 – Nelly Quinlan (15)
2022 – Lou Elliot (37)
2021 – Keira Offer (7)
2019 – Jess Boyd (29)
2018 – Jess Boyd (21)
2017 – Taya Stuart & Paige Smith (11)
2016 – Jess Boyd (19)
2015 – Paige Smith (25)
2014 – Sarah Dowling (10)
2013 – Jess Boyd (24)
2012 – Lou Elliot (22)
2011 – Jess Boyd (21)
2010 – Jess Boyd (20)
2009 – Jess Boyd (16)
2008 – Frith Hunt (12)
2007 – Rachel Bannan (17)
2006 – Kahlia Hillbrich (23)
2005 – Lyndal Hillbrich (14)