Just days after she was named in the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball Team of the Year, NSW Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud has swept the board at the Club’s annual awards night in Sydney.
On Wednesday the double-Premiership winner took out the Swifts’ highest honour – the QBE Most Valued Player Award – as well as a host of others.
The honour comes after she was on Sunday named by Super Netball as the best Centre in the competition for 2022.
This is the second time that Proud has won the Club’s MVP Award, which is presented by Principal Partner QBE Insurance.
The 28-year-old first won it in 2017 after producing a stellar season in what was then a young Swifts side entering the new era of Super Netball after the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship came to an end.
With Premierships to her name in 2019 and 2021, Proud enhanced her reputation yet again in 2022 by producing a string of world-class performances to keep the Swifts’ title defence alive until the last play of the regular season, despite a host of injury and COVID disruptions.
Her form was so strong that she was one of only two players added to the original Australian Diamonds squad for 2022/2023. And while she missed out on selection for the Commonwealth Games, Proud remains in strong contention for international Test Series taking place later in the year.
As well as the MVP Award, Proud took home the Players’ Player and Members’ Player honours, while she shared the Coaches Award with fellow co-captain Paige Hadley.
In the Club Persons of the Year categories, Team Physio Vicki Locke was named winner of the high-performance award while Video & Social Media coordinator Madeline Ibrahim took the honour for Club staff.
Head coach Briony Akle congratulated all winners but had special praise for Proud.
“Firstly, I want to thank everyone at the Club for their efforts this year including the players, fellow coaches, support staff, club staff and volunteers,” she said.
“It takes a village to make a Club like the Swifts function and everyone has played a vital role.
“For Maddy it has been another stellar campaign and I love how she and Paige led from the front when we were thrown some pretty big curveballs, especially with injuries.
“Not many groups could learn a new game plan in a condensed season and that we came so close to another finals campaign is a testament to the strong leadership in this group.
“Of course, Maddy is one player in a pretty brilliant bunch, but no-one could argue that she has been the standout midcourter in the game this year and I am certain that even higher honours are a question of when, not if.”
2022 NSW SWIFTS AWARDS WINNERS
- QBE MVP: Maddy Proud
- Players Player of the Year: Maddy Proud
- Members Player of the Year: Maddy Proud
- Coaches Award: Maddy Proud & Paige Hadley
- Club Person of the Year – High Performance: Vicki Locke
- Club Person of the Year – Club Staff: Madeline Ibrahim
