By JARROD POTTER
PERSONIFING the “hard” in Hardiman, Cranbourne’s ironclad defender Danielle Hardiman was awarded the Division 1 best on ground medal for a sensational performance under pressure.
The former skipper held on down back as Knox surged in the finale.
Even at the height of the barrage on the Eagles’ defence, Hardiman stood tall and helped rebound the ball out of trouble, even against a pretty strong wind.
Once the Eagles got the breeze and their second wind, Hardiman proved just as important to help bomb the ball back into the forward-50 and ensure Knox could not escape with the premiership.
“Definitely breathtaking, very nervous those last few minutes with Hayley (Wildes) kicking that goal – just absolutely amazing and all the girls did very well,” Hardiman said.
“It was great to watch – great when we got it out … I don’t even know what to say! Speechless – I wasn’t expecting it; thought Hayley might get it, but I don’t mind about that medal as long as I have the premiership I’m fine with it.”
Returning to Cranbourne – after Berwick folded last year – turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Hardiman and her Eagles as she got to return to where she played her Youth Girls football and has seen the club shine with the influx of players.
“It’s been great – I played Youth Girls with Cranbourne obviously, so to come back and just for them all to take us under their wing has been amazing and I can’t thank them enough for all their support and helping us out,” Hardiman said.
Onwards and upwards now for Hardiman and her side as the Eagles advance into VWFL Premier Division where she believes the team is well placed for future success.
“I reckon we can go all right – there’s four teams going up and we’ve got a lot of confidence after this win – we’ve just got a big pre-season ahead of us and should go all right.”
