Both tall, both skilled and both determined.

Hamilton Kangaroos teenager Hollie Phillips said lining up against Warrnambool's Emma Cust was a challenge she embraced.

"Emma is amazing. She is super physical, versatile and strong," she said.

"She was an amazing opponent and Matilda Fitzgerald as well, they just work so well in the (Blues' defensive) ring together."

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Phillips held her own. It was just one of the lessons which helped her establish herself in the Hampden league open-grade netball competition.

Phillips, 17, went onto share the league's most valuable player award with South Warrnambool's Ally O'Connor, won the rising star award and made the team of the year.

All three were announced on Saturday via a virtual ceremony planned due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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"I was happy to just get on the court considering the circumstances we're in (with the pandemic)," she said.

"I honestly wasn't expecting anything like this. It was a great privilege. The season went well, we finished third in the under 17s and had a couple of close games in open.

"It was a great opportunity. It is super competitive and the netball standard is really high so everyone has been really good."

The goal shooter praised her teammates for developing her skillset for senior netball.

"My team are great. They helped me so much throughout the year and my coaches Kelsey and Rhianne Lewis and Annie (Walsh) have been amazing and given me so much netball knowledge and have helped influence my game a lot," she said.

Phillips, who is in year 12 at Monivae College, plans to play for Hamilton Kangaroos again in 2022.

But she's also eager to player at a higher level, having been part of academy programs as a junior netballer.

"I am off to uni after my gap year next year and hopefully playing in the VNL (Victorian Netball League)," she said.

"I am wanting to get down and play at Geelong."

Phillips, who turns 18 in February, is focused on her career options too and is knuckling down on her VCE studies.

She has applied to study paramedicine and nursing in Ballarat.

A strong ATAR result will help her cause.

"We're coming up to exams. I think there is about a month left (of classwork)," Phillips said of her final year of high school.

"I live on a farm at Glenthompson so I travel an hour everyday in and out of Hamilton but it is worth it."

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