Netball has been an outlet for loyal Koroit defender Emily Batt for all of her 21-year senior career.
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This weekend Batt will notch up her 250th Hampden league open match fittingly against Warrnambool, the club she made her first senior appearance with in 2000.
From that point the Saint has won eight premierships in 2001, 2003-04, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019 at the club. She missed the 2018 victory when she was pregnant with her second child.
Batt, who also won a HFNL best and fairest in 2014, said it wasn't the success that kept her coming back every season.
"I look at it for fitness and it's my outlet away from everything," she said.
"It's enjoying the community and the friends and last year, because of COVID, I missed the friendship group and I was a bit eager to come back and have a bit of fun with them."
"It was really hard (not playing) so I basically worked and looked after the kids (Ayla, 5, and Marli, 2).
"It felt weird (coming back). It took me a while to get used to it again as it had been a long time.
"The body doesn't like it as I'm very sore after each game and physio and chiro is costing me a lot but I am happy going along."
The 36-year-old, who started as a goalie before switching to defence, said the Koroit Football Netball Club was a great place to be.
It's a good family club where I can take the kids, I've got lots of babysitters there and everyone looks out for our kids and all my nieces, nephews and family are there.
- Emily Batt on Koroit
"Now I help out coaching the juniors and to watch the young girls grow and seeing my nieces and nephews growing up through Koroit is great."
Batt started her senior career with the Blues while still playing 17 and under. She moved to the Saints in 2001 after her mum Gaye was appointed coach of the Victoria Park-based club, where she played alongside sisters Stacey and Jess.
Her first appearance for the club was delayed as she worked her way back from a knee injury she suffered playing for the Blues in the 2000 17 and under grand final.
There have been a number of highlights for Batt in her time at the Saints.
"Obviously the premierships, the players I've played with and the friendships I've made and also playing in flags with my sisters," she said.
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The 2007 premiership where she played against her older sister Jess, who was with Terang Mortlake at the time, is one of the flags she rates highly.
Batt also won a premiership during a two-year stint with Warrnambool and District league team Merrivale, which she coached in 2010-11 before returning to the Saints.
For the time being Batt is happy to continue playing but when the time comes to hang up the dress netball will still be a big part of her life.
"It'll be putting some time into my daughters and helping them develop," she said.
"Ayla is only in prep and just started Net Set Go and she loves it. Growing up she has been going (to the netball) every Saturday and hanging with her friends and cousins and just watching."
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