Netball
13 June, 2025
Sharpshooter Bergen continues to progress
Rupanyup’s Zanaiya Bergen currently leads Horsham District Football Netball League's A grade netball in goals scored.
Through eight rounds, Bergen has scored 223 goals from seven games, with Laharum's Maddison Iredell and Edenhope Apsley Lavinia Fox each hitting 206 and 204 goals, respectively.
But Bergen admits that she was far from a star shooter when she first played.
“When I first started, I was not so great,” Bergen said.
“I used to be a defender, and I just started wanting to randomly shoot, and when I first started, I definitely was the type that got people frustrated at the other end of the court.”
Bergen’s decision to stick with shooting would eventually pay dividends.
Since progressing into senior netball, Bergen has consistently been a scoring threat, scoring 418 goals in the 2022 season while playing for Stawell in the Wimmera Football Netball League.
The goal shooter maintained that dominance when she joined Rupanyup in the Horsham District League, leading the league with 605 goals in 2023, finishing second in 2024, and currently being the frontrunner for the 2025 season.
Oddly enough, Bergen credits Edenhope Apsley goal-shooting rival Lavinia Fox and Lavinia’s mum with helping set the foundation of her success.
“When I first started shooting, I had tips from Lavinia Fox and her mum, Lee Fox, and they actually showed me a technique that I still somewhat use to this day,” Bergen said.
“I always thank her for teaching me how to shoot, because she was my interleague coach in under 13s.”
“From then on, I've just kept practising, and my coach this year, Georgia Hiscock, who was also my coach in 2023 as well, she's always been such a big support with my shooting.”
Bergen credits Hiscock and her teammates for giving her the confidence to excel.
"Georgia, as well as my teammates, they always give me so much support,” Bergen said.
“If I'm ever dropping my head, they just make me feel like a really good shooter, and they make me want to be better.
“We're such a supportive and uplifting team, and I feel so much pride in that.”
Bergen's rise as a shooter has coincided with team success - Rupanyup made the preliminary final in 2023, narrowly lost to Laharum in the 2024 grand final, and are currently second on the ladder after eight rounds in 2025.
Hiscock, the captain-coach of Rupanyup’s A Grade netball side, says Bergen’s shooting helps drive the team’s success.
“She's doing a good job playing her role to help us be successful and where we want to be on the ladder,” Hiscock said.
“She's a dominant force and she's been up there with the leading goalscorers for the past three years.”
The Rupanyup coach is impressed by the shooter’s ongoing improvement.
“With continued growth in her shooting efficiency, she has the potential to reach even more exceptional heights,” Hiscock said.
“She’s just grown over the past three years, from her movement on the court, right through to her resilience and confidence during the more challenging games.”
Bergen's on-court influence is matched by the off-court energy she provides for her team.
“If you could pick a class clown, it would be Zanaiya,” Hiscock said.
“When you meet her, she’s quite reserved, but she just comes up with the most random things that anyone would ever say - she’s so funny.”
Although Bergen appreciates being recognised amongst the best shooters in the league, Rupanyup's success as a team is her primary goal on the court, with a premiership in sight.
"I'm hoping we can make it all the way with our team," Bergen said.
"I think we have a pretty good chance, but finals are a different type of game, so we're just going to keep practising, doing what we do and keeping our heads high."