As we approach Round 13, Western Port is set to face Chelsea at home on Sunday, June 23rd, at 2:00pm. This game marks Steeler’s Rachael Wansbrough’s 350th game. Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Wansbrough, discussing her career journey and the significance of this accomplishment.
Rachael Wansbrough started playing basketball at the age of 6 and is now competing in Division 1 of our Big V competition. Reaching the remarkable milestone of 350 games is an extraordinary achievement and for Rachael, she just wants to keep playing as long as she can. At 16 years old, Wansbrough moved from her junior representative basketball at Frankston and commenced playing in the CBL competition with Western Port before making the transition across to Big V and has had substantial success since. Warren Heigh, coach of the Mornington Breakers, watched one of her games in Gippsland, and from that, she was invited to training with the senior girls in Mornington.
“Congratulations to Rachael on reaching the 350 Big V games milestone,” said Heigh. “I had the pleasure of recruiting and coaching Rachel as a young 16-year-old in her introduction to Big V at Mornington, where for a number of years she dominated all the statistical categories each year.”
Wansbrough stated that - “heading straight into a women’s team from juniors was daunting at first given the quality of players – suiting up next to Maher and Keet”. However, it did not take long for her to find her feet in senior competition.
“I moved Rachael up to Division 1 and Championship with Justin Nelson at Warrandyte, who polished her into the player she is today. It was my privilege to have been part of her journey and to be a friend over all these years. A great career and huge milestone, but I know we will see many more games in the years to come,” Heigh adds.
Throughout her career, Wansbrough has amassed many milestones and achievements. Despite it being a tough question for her to answer, she listed her favorite accolades so far:
- First Championship at Warrandyte;
- Playing in the International Big V All Stars game against Japan;
- 35pts/37rebs game at Mornington; and
- Winning in Mildura at semi-finals in 2022 – “a massive game for us to win on the road against all the odds”. The first win up in Mildura is something that she won’t forget.
It is fair to say that this is only a small selection of many great things achieved in her career, and it is not hard to see why so many people look up to her.
“Growing up playing at Frankston blues, Emily McInerney was my idol. She was our team mentor in the under 16’s. I followed her all the way through and went to every SEABL home game to watch her play. She is the reason I wear number 9 and have worn it my entire career.”
Wansbrough’s main strength has mostly been offensively orientated, whether it’s scoring or rebounding (currently sitting 9th in our competition for rebounds). Stepping up into a higher division when she moved to Warrandyte with Justin Nelson, she quoted that this “really helped develop my game, particularly my defence. It was the one thing I really worked hard on, and it's made me a much more rounded player at both ends of the court.”
Athletes will consider it a blessing if they can go through a career without a setback or an injury unfortunately for Wansbrough, she required a full ankle reconstruction, which she had straight after the seasons conclusion, luckily she was able to return to the court when the new season commenced the following year, it took a full year for her to regain her complete confidence on the court.
Quick Fire Questions
“What would your advice be to our Youth players coming through the ranks”
“Train Hard. Play Hard. But most importantly, enjoy the game”
"What do you hope your legacy will be”
"I like people to remember me as a tough, fair competitor and my undeniable passion and commitment for the game”
"Moving forward, I just want to keep playing and enjoying the game! This is made easier due to the fact I have amazing teammates and supportive coaching staff around me on and off the court."
Rachael Wansbrough is a legacy of our game and is just amazing, both on and off the court. Current coach, Adrian Giblin added “Rach’s ability to show up week in week out and put her body on the line for her teammates is why she is loved by her team and the coaching staff”. Rachael has earned the respect of her teammates and opponents over her career because of her work ethic and dedication to competing every single minute of every one of her 350 games.
Please join us in celebrating her milestone of 350 games this coming Sunday.
