Two days before her Navarre teammates played through raw grief to win an emotional grand final, 23-year-old Zanaiya Bergen’s mother shared a quiet, agonizing goodbye at her hospital bedside
When the final siren sounded on Saturday afternoon, securing a 58-51 grand final victory for the Navarre Hoppers, there were no triumphant roars or wild celebrations.
Instead, netballers collapsed into each other’s arms in tears, their tear-soaked uniforms a quiet testament to a teammate who should have been standing on the podium beside them.
Just forty-eight hours earlier, twenty-three-year-old Zanaiya Bergen—a premier athletic talent who had recently earned a spot in the league’s A-Grade Team of the Year—lost her life following a catastrophic car accident on the Stawell-Avoca Road.
Now, as an entire regional community mourns the loss of a vibrant young woman cut down at her peak, Zanaiya’s heartbreak-stricken mother has broken her silence to reveal the intimate, tear-jerking final moments spent beside her daughter’s hospital bed.
“I HELD HER HAND AND TOLD HER IT WAS OKAY TO REST”
For any parent, the late-night telephone call from emergency services is the ultimate living nightmare.
Following a routine Thursday evening training session designed to finalize tactical plans for the Maryborough Castlemaine District grand final, Zanaiya packed her gear bag, hugged her teammates goodbye, and began the drive home.
She never made it. After her car was involved in a severe collision, emergency personnel rushed to the scene, performing immediate life-saving interventions before airlifted her to a specialized trauma unit.
Her mother recalled the harrowing drive to the hospital, praying against all odds that her fiercely strong, athletic daughter would pull through.
“When we got the call, my world simply stopped turning. You never expect to see your child—someone so full of life, energy, and dreams—lying still beneath hospital machines.
When I walked into that intensive care room, I didn’t see the star netballer everyone talked about.
I just saw my baby girl.”
Despite the tireless efforts of trauma surgeons, Zanaiya’s injuries were too severe for her young body to overcome.
Her mother spent the final hours of her daughter’s life sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, brushing strands of hair from Zanaiya’s face, whispering childhood memories, and softly stroking her hands.
“I held her hand so tightly, hoping she could feel my strength flowing into her.
I leaned down close to her cheek, kissed her forehead, and whispered how proud I was of the woman she had become.
When the doctors gently let us know the end was near, I leaned into her ear and told her it was okay to rest, that she didn’t have to fight anymore.
She took her last quiet breath right as the sun was rising.”
A TEAR-SOAKED PROMISE ON THE EVE OF A CHAMPIONSHIP
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the Navarre Football Netball Club was thrust into overwhelming grief.
Club President Luke Martin immediately offered the playing group the option to forfeit the upcoming grand final against Carisbrook.
Stepping away from the court to process a sudden, violent loss is the standard protocol for any grieving community.
Yet, Zanaiya’s mother revealed that during those dark hours at the hospital, she sent a personal message to head coach Sidney Dyer and the squad, encouraging them to step onto the court one last time for her daughter.
“Zanaiya lived for netball.
She loved that club, she loved those girls, and she had worked so hard all season to get to that grand final.
I knew in my heart that if Zanaiya was looking down, she would want her team out on that court running, shooting, and fighting for every single ball. I told them to play with her joy.”
Moving with remarkable fortitude, the Navarre players voted unanimously to proceed with the fixture.
They resolved to transform their immense psychological pain into an exhibition of unity, dedicating their entire performance to the fallen teammate whose locker remained empty.
58-51: A GRAND FINAL THAT TRANSCENDED ATHLETICS
When Saturday arrived, the usual pre-game pageantry was replaced by a heavy, reverent silence across the venue.
Spectators, officials, and rival Carisbrook players stood shoulder-to-shoulder during a poignant minute of silence before the opening whistle.
Once the game commenced, the Navarre squad delivered a masterclass in emotional compartmentilization, executing their game plan with surgical precision despite carrying heavy hearts.
When the whistle signaled their 58-51 championship victory, the court was immediately overwhelmed by weeping players and coaching staff holding each other in tight embraces.
Head coach Sidney Dyer addressed the crowd through tears, dedicating the hard-fought trophy entirely to Zanaiya and her grieving family.
“The sheer willpower it took for our girls to even put their bibs on today was extraordinary.
We didn’t play for a trophy or a medal today.
Every pass, every goal, and every sprint was for Zanaiya. Her spirit was on that court with us for every single second of those four quarters.”
A LEGACY THAT WILL NEVER FADE FROM VICTORIAN SPORT
In the days following the heartbreaking premiership, tributes have poured in from across the region, including formal condolences from Zanaiya’s former club, Rupanyup.
While her towering presence as a dominant, mobile goal shooter made her an elite athlete, those closest to her insist her true legacy rests in the warmth, sportsmanship, and infectious laughter she brought into every locker room she entered.
For her mother, walking forward without her eldest daughter is a daunting reality, but she finds solace in knowing how deeply Zanaiya was loved by her community.
“Losing Zanaiya leaves a hole in my heart that will never heal.
But seeing her teammates win that grand final for her, seeing an entire league wrap their arms around our family—it shows the kind of impact my girl had on this world.
She lived every day with passion, and that is how we will remember her forever.”
Though her life was tragically cut short at just twenty-three years old, Zanaiya Bergen leaves behind a legacy defined not by a scoreboard, but by an enduring testament to love, family, and athletic brotherhood.