Steel wing attack Liana Barrett-Chase was shocked to hear she had been named the ANZ Championship's most valuable player.
The 1.68m playmaker thought she had had a reasonable rather than outstanding season. But that is not how the coaches saw it. They jotted her name down more often and assigned her more points than any other player in the league.
"I'm pretty shocked about it. There are better players than me out there, so I'm blown away."
Coaches assign points to the three best players at the end of each game. The title goes to the player who accumulates the most points by the end of the season.
The midcourter discovered the news when ANZ Championship general manager Anthony Everard phoned yesterday at noon.
"He gave me a call and I was like, 'Oh my goodness'.
"I didn't think I'd had an outstanding season. I was looking for consistency. But it is a huge achievement, probably the biggest of my netball career," she said.
Barrett-Chase (36 points) joins previous winners Romelda Aiken (2008 and 2009) and Sonia Mkoloma (2008).
She headed off New South Wales Swifts defender Rebecca Bulley with 30 points and Steel team-mate Leana de Bruin and Adelaide Thunderbirds shooter Carla Borrego on 29 points.
There is a trophy and a prize - "some jewellery or something like that".
While it is all very nice, you get the feeling Barrett-Chase would gladly switch the acclaim and the prize for an opportunity to play in Sunday's final.
Asked who she thought might win the final - Magic or Thunderbirds - Barrett-Chase was not prepared to speculate.
"I don't want to say anything because I'm still gutted we're not in it."
Barrett-Chase now has her sights set on adding to her six caps for the Silver Ferns.
ANZ Championship - MVP Award
• Liana Barrett-Chase (Steel) 36 points
• Rebecca Bulley (Swifts) 30 points
• Leana de Bruin (Steel) 29 points
• Carla Borrego (Adelaide Thunderbirds) 29 points
Previous winners: 2008, Romelda Aiken (Firebirds) and Sonia Mkoloma (Pulse); 2009, AikenLiana Barrett-Chase
