For the vast majority of its 50-year history, the annual Godfather of the Year award has gone to a male.

But this year, one of Yarrawonga’s most recognisable netballers and mentors, Bridget Cassar (nee Tait), will add another award to her impressive cabinet after being crowned the 2026 Godmother of the Year at a formal presentation at the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort on Sunday.

The talented Ovens and Murray Football Netball League and Yarrawonga Football Netball Club life member has amassed 376 club games in her career, including 292 in A Grade.

It all started at age six for Bridget Tait out at Rennie, where her mum Kay was starring for the Hoppers.

Bridget began her competitive netball with Rennie’s Little Midgets team before progressing through the junior ranks. Her older sister Janna later joined Yarrawonga, starred and played in premierships, inspiring Bridget to follow.

While at secondary school, aged 15, 16 and 17, Bridget played national netball, representing and captaining Victoria in the Victoria State and Victorian Catholic Schools competitions. She won state championships in the under-17 division and was selected in All-Australian teams for both age groups.

At 18 she played Championship Division netball in Melbourne with Hume Falcons for two seasons. At 19 she travelled to London to play netball for a couple of seasons before heading to the island of Guernsey for 18 months to play and work, returning to Yarrawonga in 2008.

Proud mum Kay Tait has seen firsthand the sacrifices Bridget made for the sport from her early playing days through to coaching.

“Bridget couldn’t attend parties in her high school years during the netball season as she had to travel to Melbourne on Sundays for competitions. This started when she was 13,” Kay said.

Bridget’s achievements with the Yarrawonga Pigeons include 14 A Grade grand finals with nine premierships, along with two B Grade and one C Grade premiership.

She won the A Grade best and fairest in 2013, 2014 and 2019 and has also represented Victoria and the Ovens and Murray league.

As a coach, Bridget has led several senior sides over the past 15 years, including A Grade from 2016–2018, B Grade in 2019, C Grade in 2021, both A and B Grades in 2022, and B Grade again this year.

“I was shocked, but it is very humbling,” Bridget said.

“I was a bit confused at first because, to get me there, they said Dad (Bert) was getting a Godfather of the Year award, but I thought he had already had one.”

Bridget said she was honoured to be the first father-daughter duo to have won the award.

Off the court, she said her family has been her biggest influence.

“My parents sacrificed a lot and gave me every opportunity to play and access the best level of netball from a very young age.

“They have always been supportive of local football and netball themselves.

“My husband Cass is quiet in the background. He is always encouraging and says, ‘Do it while you can’.”

Bridget said the Yarrawonga Football Netball Club is a place she loves.

“I started there a very long time ago at the age of 12, establishing many lifelong friendships and being a small part of a successful period for our club.

“Now I am at the end of my playing career, and, with coaching, I can continue helping at the club for years to come and see the next generation come through, including my own children.

“If my kids see me put in, hopefully they will want to help too,” she said.

“Junior support is so important for connections, discipline and routine.”

Bridget also singled out Yarrawonga life member and O&M Hall of Famer Tracy Gillies as her biggest influence.

“As a player and now as a coach, we played together and she encouraged me to coach. I often still go to Trace for guidance and support and try to model what she did,” she said.

Tracy Gillies began playing with Bridget in 1999 when Bridget was just 13 and said the honour was richly deserved.

“She is just so talented and experienced, and she’s now passing that on to the kids,” Tracy said.

“I coached and played netball at the Pigeons with Bridget for years. She has always been a cornerstone of the club.”

Tracy said there was no junior netball in the Ovens and Murray at the time, so the club made C Grade a junior team in 1999.

“They won the premiership with Bridget as goal shooter and, just two years later, as a 15-year-old, she played A Grade and was instrumental in us winning our first A Grade premiership.

“She was an extremely talented junior but never relied on talent alone. She worked hard, practising her goal shooting daily.”

Tracy also praised Bridget’s willingness to share her knowledge and her passion for developing young players.

“She has coached various teams over the past 16 years and many of those sides, even in senior grades, have been filled with junior players.”

Godfather’s president Marty Cummins praised Bridget’s impact on local sport.

“Bridget has been a dominant figure and a driving force behind local netball for over 20 years,” Cummins said.

“Not only has she been a champion on the court but, more importantly, a wonderful person who has contributed enormously to the success of the O&M netball competition.

“She is a worthy recipient of this year’s Godfather’s award.”

Yarrawonga Chronicle Google News Panels

Sunday, 11th February 2029

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