The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League have announced this year’s Grand Final Ambassadors and Compere for the Grand Final Day
Former Murray Bushranger, Wangaratta Rovers talent and now St Kilda AFL rising star nominee Darcy Wilson will be the football ambassador for the final to be held on Sunday, September 22 at the Lavington Sportsground.
The netball ambassador will be Ruby Barkmeyer (Melbourne Vixens) and the ground compere will be Craig Willis.
Darcy Wilson returns home after a very successful first season in the AFL ranks. He played every senior match and earned a Rising Star nomination, which shows that he has adapted very quickly to the highest level.
Ruby Barkmeyer also has family connections to the region and will be a key part of all netball activities throughout the day. Known as a sharpshooter who is cool under pressure, Ruby will be keen to pass on her knowledge to the league’s young netballers, who aspire to emulate her achievements at Suncorp Super Netball level one day.
Commonly known as “the voice of the AFL”, Craig Willis will perform football cup and medal presentation duties across the day, along with announcing pre-game ceremonies prior to the senior match. Craig’s CV speaks for itself, with experience over several decades as an announcer for the AFL Grand Final and Australian Open Tennis and coverage of several Olympic Games events.
“We are excited to welcome Darcy home after a superb first season in the AFL, and it will be a real family affair for the Wilsons. Darcy’s father, Mick, and his great uncle, Mick Nolan, were this year inducted into the O&M Hall of Fame and will be duly celebrated on Grand Final Day also,” O&M Chair David Sinclair said.
“We are also very excited to secure Ruby’s services as netball ambassador to share her experiences from the highest level of professional netball in the country.
“Finally, the inclusion of Craig Willis is a massive coup for the O&M. It would be hard to find a better credentialled ground announcer for a sporting event in the country, and we look forward to Craig elevating proceedings across the day.”