Article Written by Caitlin Bassett | The West Australian
A career-best 12 months for two of our State’s brightest stars has earned T20 cricket captain Mitch Marsh and national women’s water polo captain Zoe Arancini nominations for one of the most prestigious awards in WA sport.
The West Australian can reveal the pair as the first two finalists for the SportWest WA Sports Star of the Year award.
Previous winners include Sam Kerr (2017, 2018 and 2023), Lauren Mitchell (2010) and Michael Hussey (2007). The 12 finalists will be revealed by The West Australian ahead of presentations on February 6 at Optus Stadium.
A member of the most prolific family in the history of the WA Sports Star Award — cricket’s Marsh family — Mitch Marsh, above, is a finalist for the third time (the first in 2021). His brother Shaun was a finalist for his performances in 2018 with the brothers following on from their father, Geoff, who won the WA Sports Star Award in 1986.
Mitch became just the third West Australian to win the coveted Allan Border Medal in January after a remarkable 12 months which saw him return to Test cricket and smash an Ashes century and win the World Cup.
Marsh was named full-time captain of Australia’s T20 team in May, after stepping in previously as interim captain to cover for the injured Travis Head.
Three-time Olympian Zoe Arancini, left, has followed in the footsteps of both her parents and aunt who all represented Australia in water polo.
As captain, she led the Aussie Stingers Women’s water polo team to a silver medal in Paris and is an influential leader both in and out of the pool.
The Stingers went through the tournament undefeated until their gold medal match against Spain and overcame the pressure of three penalty shoot-outs along with defeating reigning Olympic and world champions the USA.
Arancini is recognised internationally as a fiercely competitive player capable of making quick decisions, especially in high-pressure situations.
The Winner will be announced at the 2024 WA Sport Awards on Thursday, 6 February 2025 at Optus Stadium.