For a player still well south of her thirties, it’s remarkable to think how much NSW Swifts vice-captain Paige Hadley has already achieved.
As a young girl she watched the Swifts win Premierships. Lots of Premierships. From the days of Liz Ellis and Cath Cox through to the modern era of Kim Green and Susan Pettitt, she saw plenty of success as a fan but it’s as a Swift herself where Paige flies highest.
Put simply, she loves the club. It was clear from an early age that Paige had what it took. Today she joins an elite group of players, including those famous names above, as a Swifts centurion.
In 2008, a three-peat year for the club, Paige watched from the stands at Qudos Bank Arena as Coxy lifted the ANZ Championship trophy – the Swifts’ fifth title. Little did she know then that 11 years later it would be her lifting the prize as the Swifts ended a decade-long wait for another.
Did it come easy? Definitely not, and there was plenty of heartache along the way. After debuting in 2012 as a replacement player before earning her first fulltime contract a year later, Paigey – as she is known in the Swifts environment – would take plenty of knocks, but nothing could keep her down.
An ACL injury and two heart-breaking Grand Final losses to the Queensland Firebirds in 2015 and 2016 could have derailed her, but hard work and commitment has never been in short supply when it comes to the girl from Penrith. There aren’t many players who can bounce back from a career-threatening injury and go on to win a World Cup - but Paige Hadley did that in 2015.
When Suncorp Super Netball replaced the ANZ Championship in 2017, Paige proved her loyalty to the club. Were there other offers? Of course there were, but she believed in the vision and the new group of players who’d just signed on. Maddy Proud, Helen Housby, Sam Wallace, Sarah Klau – just to name a few.
She also had good mates Abbey McCulloch and Maddy Turner at her side, and although Finals would be out of reach for a while, Paige was happy to play the long game.
She grew as a person, as a player and as a leader. Soon the Australian Diamonds would come looking for her services again. She became fitter, faster, stronger. The Sydney Morning Herald labelled her the ultimate modern netballer.
When Proud fell to a season-ending injury against the Firebirds in Brisbane last year, it was Paige who pulled to group together. There would be no tears, they could wait till after. The Swifts had a job to finish.
“Do it for that girl lying over there, she is who we’re playing for now,” Paige ordered the troops and they delivered. In fact, they kept delivering.
And then it came - the litmus test. A Grand Final in Brisbane. Paige had played two deciders at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and lost both at the death. This time it wasn’t the Firebirds, but the new kids on the block – the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Nine out of 10 experts picked the Lightning to win. Only one – former club skipper Green – backed the Swifts.
Paige nailed the opening move: a three-pass play with Natalie Haythornthwaite and Wallace. It was the settler and set the standard for the day - a standard that Paige wouldn’t let slip. Just over an hour later she finally had a Premiership to sit alongside her World Cup title.
At 27, Paige is far from done. In fact, like her teammates, she wants this current group to emulate - or even surpass - what Ellis and Cox did in a Swifts dress.
But that can wait for another day. Today we celebrate a player whose raw talent, coupled with a fearsome athleticism and work ethic, allows her bring up 100 caps at elite club netball level. That she’s done it all with one club is even more special.
Her family, fiancé, friends, teammates, coaches and club couldn’t be prouder.
Well played Paigey.
