For those who have followed GIG WANL, Dylan has become one of the League’s familiar faces, and voices. Whether taking the court or calling the action on Streamer, he brought the same warmth, humour and unmistakable passion to every part of the game.
Dylan’s State League netball career began in a way no athlete would choose. Coming from a background in elite rugby, he thought netball might be a little kinder on the body. It quickly proved otherwise.
Set to be part of the inaugural Men’s division in 2018, Dylan was instead ruled out before he could truly begin, facing the heartbreak of a double ACL reconstruction.
For Dylan, it did not close the door. After years of rehab, patience and quiet determination, he returned to the court in 2021 with the Southside Demons.
He would go on to spend four years with the Demons, where the scoreboard rarely told the full story.
The Demons recorded just three wins and a draw during that period, but those numbers never defined Dylan’s time at the Club. What did define it were the people, the culture built by Mandy Love, the care shown by Bev Gallagher, and the feeling that even in the toughest seasons, he was part of something worth fighting for.
“We were very inexperienced, and she (Love) did the best she could and really built, like, a great culture,” he said.
“But that was also enabled with Bev Gallagher, who really did so much for the men's game at the club, which essentially made me love the game more than what I ever did.”
Among all the moments in Dylan’s GIG WANL journey, one memory still sits above the rest: the day the Demons finally broke through for their first win after two long seasons. Mandy was no longer their coach, but she was still there, still loud, still willing them on from the sideline.
“She was so loud on the sidelines, she was at every single one of our games, and she knew we were going to get wins that year,” he said.
“To see her not be our coach, but still on the sideline, cheering us on and giving us direction when we needed it, that's my best netball memory ever, it still gives me chills.”
After his time with the Demons, Dylan came close to stepping away from the game. Then came the chance to join the Comets alongside teammates like Mitch Walker and Griff Thomas and suddenly, retirement could wait.
“Like I was ever going to say no. I loved every minute of being at that Club for the one year,” he said.
Under Men’s Comets Head Coach Nicole Mann, Dylan found another place that reminded him why he had kept going. The joy returned, the love was still there, and that renewed connection to netball carried him into one final chapter as an inaugural Peel Lightning Men’s player.
“It was so great to finish the way we did, even though we finished last, it was great to finish with a new club, and with all the teammates supporting each other, and really building a new club culture,” Dylan said.
“I've never really been a part of something so new before, and to be at a club that not only are classed as a regional team, but it really felt like it's such a tight-knit family from the moment we started preseason. We didn't feel like we were new to the club.
“Everyone was welcomed with open arms, and that was purely just the work that the board did behind the scenes. All our relationships off the court just speak volumes, and that's why it was the best decision for anyone to make to go to that club.”
The decision to hang up the netball sneakers came because of the unavoidable niggles of playing elite netball.
“I was warned that I pretty much only had a year left anyway. After the season finished, I knew that I needed to look after my body, but I wanted to finish on the highest high, and that’s exactly what I did. So that’s when I knew that I was done,” he said.
Dylan may have called time on his career on court, but he’s certainly not slowing down, taking an exciting life opportunity to move East. Built on the foundations of what he has learnt commentating on Streamer; he hopes to continue that passion in Melbourne as well.
Congratulations on an outstanding career, Dylan. Netball WA thanks you for everything you have given to the game, as a player, teammate, commentator and advocate, and wishes you all the best for this next chapter
