A 10-YEAR-OLD Marlee Black held up the then TAC Cup premiership trophy, basking in admiration as her father Craig had just made history in coaching the Dandenong Stingrays to their maiden boys’ flag. Little did the youngster know that eight years later, she herself would add a chapter to the family legacy at the club, captaining the girls’ side to its maiden flag.

The parallels between what her father achieved, and what she has now accomplished is not lost on her. In 2018, Dandenong Stingrays defeated Oakleigh Chargers having been beaten comfortably by the Eastern Ranges in a grand final five years early. Fast forward to the weekend, and the Dandenong Stingrays, beaten beat the Ranges a year earlier, toppled the Chargers in a memorable match.

For Black, she is still soaking it all in.

“It’s definitely feels really good,” she said. “It was all kind of a shock to be honest, it’s still actually hard to think about now, I’m like ‘oh wow’.”

“We (dad and I) were looking through photos yesterdays and I was looking at photos of me holding the cup years ago in 2018 and thought it was so crazy and I didn’t remember it was against Oakleigh until I saw the photos and I was like ‘that is so weird that it’s happened like that’. It’s crazy.”

Black said her father largely played a peripheral role when it comes to the game itself, but is always there to support her and “leave it up to Boydy and I” with a simple “good luck” heading into the clash. But his rare accolade – as the only Stingrays coach – has also never been far from a topic of conversation.

“I was there when he won it so I knew how good it would be if we could do it again and take a bit off him because he likes to tell everyone that he’s the only premiership coach of the Stingrays so it was good to beat him [by becoming premiership players and coach] in that aspect,” she said.

While the jubilation of premiership success is the highest of highs, Black was also one of five Ranges in the title-winning team that was on the receiving end of a grand final loss just last year. With greater confidence, Black said she felt the two lead-ups were “really different scenarios”.

“I felt like last year we came in not playing Eastern at all throughout the year,” she said. “So obviously we never knew what was going to happen, we’d never played against them, so it was kind of like going into the unknown and we knew they were a really good team.

“Whereas this year we had experience playing against Oakleigh already, even though both times we played them both teams were missing some key players, but knowing that we had met them before, I think we came in not feeling cocky, but feeling very confident. “That took off that pressure of the unknown and we knew we could win the game of footy which was good.”

Incredibly, her rise to premiership glory almost didn’t happen.

Early during the quarter finals match against Geelong Falcons, Black went for a mark and landed awkwardly, clutching her knee. While trying not to think the worst, with just three weeks until the grand final, it was hard not to worry about the ramifications for her finals series. She said she was “definitely” worried her year was over when she first went down.

“It was a bit unfortunate, but I went down straight away and obviously knew something wasn’t quite right, but then managed to get everything checked and come out onto the bench and watch the other three quarters of the game and was very happy that we won,” she said.

“I definitely thought at one point that might be it for my season, but very glad and very grateful that it wasn’t.”

After examining the footage with physios and getting scans, it turned out Black was “very lucky” to “do the little damage” that she sustained. While “severe bone bruising and a few microfractures” are not ever something you want to hear, compared to the alternative, it was a relief.

“It’s just healing on its own and it’s just making sure the next few weeks I take a step down, try not to do as much load and everything and just really let it heal,” Black said. “It’s one of those things that will happen over time.”

Black’s football journey started with an uncertainty back in Under 9s. She wasn’t always going to be a footballer, but then opted to join the boys before transitioning to the girls side from Under 14s. That lead to her selection at the Stingrays, and, after four games in her Under 16s season and a further 17 last year, was named captain of the club heading into 2026.

“I was very excited,” she said when told of her captaincy appointment. “I’ve always felt like no matter what happened I would always have a chance to lead the team, help with leadership even if I wasn’t captain. “But it’s just part of my footy that I love, I love getting the girls to all be close with each other which I found such a privilege to captain them this year especially when we had such a successful season, it was really awesome to watch everything unfold.”

Always happy to give anything “a go”, Black also made the move from being a forward to the wing, a change which she has immensely enjoyed in 2026. Being a team-first player is something the skipper prides herself on, and while she is “always working on something” such as her kicking currently, she leads by example constantly.

Her captaincy seemed to go well as she never tasted defeat, and while for some sides the pressure of heading into a grand final might be nerve wracking, Black said the players always had belief they could get it done.

“I feel like there was that added pressure, but I feel like as a team we tried not to focus on that,” she said. “We just focused on we’re good enough to win this as we proved, so we can do anything if we try. “That was one of our things this year. “Obviously other teams have some amazing players, but we thought our 23/24 is stronger than most teams.”

The season has not come without its challenges, as Black – named in the Vic Country hub over the summer – missed out on the final Country selection for the national championships. That has not stopped the teenager having an impact for the Stingrays, with the bubbly leader always looking on the bright side.

Black doesn’t know what the future holds for her football, but has a grounded train of thought when it comes to 2027 and beyond.

“I’ve always said I love playing footy, so whatever happens with footy happens. Obviously I’d love to play again next year wherever that may be. I know my local club’s trying to get a team, even playing VFL, but I love footy, and I love it for fun, but it’s not everything to me, I’ve got other things I love as well, so whatever happens, happens.”