Balazic was seven votes clear of joint runners-up Newlyn’s Isabella Dwyer and Creswick’s Tegan Mitchell, who finished the count tied on 28 votes each.

Amy Purtell fell a vote short of a trophy in third after putting together a strong season for Dunnstown.

Balazic said she felt shocked and shaky after hearing her name called out. 

“It was a really good season, I really enjoyed it,” Balazic said, who is into her second year playing for Lakies.

The 16-year-old goal defender said it was the biggest award she had received for her netball so far.

She believed credit was due to her coaches and her mum for taking her to all the games every week.

In the 15/under count, Isabella Prendergast clinched the top prize with 38 votes after her dominant season for the fifth-placed Newlyn.

Learmonth’s Keeley Smith missed out by a single vote.

Sitting on 37 at the end of the count, she was rewarded for her efforts with the runner-up trophy.

Her Lakies’ teammate Sophie Kurzman finished on 31 votes to round out the top three vote-getters.

Prendergast, a defender for Newlyn, said she felt very surprised with the award.

“It feels really good,” the 15-year-old said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Meanwhile, Hepburn’s Arna Howard was deemed the best and fairest in 13/under competition by a vote in another thrilling count that saw the top two barely separated.

Howard polled 40 votes for the night, while Carngham-Linton’s Maddison Lewis finished with 39 votes.

Creswick’s Makayla Griffin and Hepburn’s Maya Howard both rounded out the top three tied on 32 votes. 

Howard, who plays centre, said a trophy was the last thing she expected.

“Definitely not (expecting it) because I’m only 11,” she said. “It was a surprise.

“The season was good, we ended up in third so we are going into finals and we’ve got a good team.”