Brothers Paddy, Ryan, and Danny O’Meara locked arms after winning the grand final for the Lancefield Netball Football Club in 1996.
Twenty-eight years later, their daughters Ruby, Grace, and Amy continued their family traditions, playing together in the Under 19s netball team in the Riddell District Netball Football League (RDFNL).
The three cousins joined the club at different times, all wanting to follow their fathers’ footsteps in a club that reached its 150th anniversary last year.
Grace, who joined the club this year, said her father Ryan ‘fuelled her choice’ after he played for six years, winning two flags in 1996 and 2004.
“I joined the club to be able to play alongside my cousins, and experience being in the same club alongside my family,” she said.
“I love playing for the club with my family because it’s great to see them several times every week doing the sport we love.
“A great memory for me was my first proper game for Lancefield after coming back from a nine-week injury.”
While Grace hopes to rope in her younger sisters to play, Ruby – daughter of Paddy – currently has seven cousins at the club.
Ruby joined the club at the age of seven, where she first discovered her love for social sport. She said Lancefield had a great community, full of her friends and family.
“My dad encouraged me to play netball because he and mum could see how much I loved sport,” she said.
“In 2017, I also played football for the Tigers and wore my dad’s number 14 jersey.
“I always knew he was part of the club, but until you are part of it yourself, you don’t realise what it means and how much fun you can have with the other members.”
Amy – daughter of Danny – started at a similar time to Ruby at the club, playing netball for the Under 9s in 2014.
Amy said she shared a ‘great love and appreciation’ for sport thanks to her father, who started his Lancefield journey in 1992.
“[My father], he went to different clubs and experienced what it was like, but it never came close to Lancefield – he loved it that much that he played his last year in 2018 at the age of 48,” she said.
“Because of him, I decided to put on some footy boots and run onto the field proudly wearing his number on my jersey in 2019.
“I love playing in a team with my family because it brings us closer together. They are also very encouraging and push me to be the best of my ability.”
The girls will play their next game this Saturday in round eleven against Romsey.
