Alex BALLARD

Michaela breaks out of the shadow of Jimmy the Phys

Michaela Clark has been named as Melville’s 2022 women’s premier player of the year at the end of her first season with the club.

With a decision made not to announce the men’s first team prize winners at this stage because they are still playing national league matches, there was extra focus on the women’s awards.

There was laughter when women’s first team coach Tarena Ranui announced the women’s player of the year award and observed that most club members still probably best knew Michaela as “the girlfriend of Jimmy The Phys” (club physio). Some wondered if that was the right introduction in these woke times, particularly given the consistent-performing 24-year-old right back was not present to speak for herself.

However Jimmy the Phys later said it was completely in order and even talked up the critical role he played in convincing Clark to join Melville from Wanderers. “All my doing, ” he fizzed. “Yes, I brought her here. Ranui underlined the importance of players such as Clark in building a new-look Melville team, which ultimately finished fourth in the WaiBOP W-League. “We had a lot of young players coming up but we had to also go and find a lot of old players to bring back, ” Ranui said.

“By the end of the season we had used over 30 players, and six goalkeepers – I was thinking of having an award for goalkeeper of the year because there were so many of them, but ran out of space on facebook to be ably to list it on a poll. Ranui noted Melville had 38 girls playing in an U14 tournament at the weekend and an U16 girls team that finished second in its league, while the U15s were currently leading a tournament in Auckland. “We have have taken on the big clubs and are doing really well, with coaches coming through.