AFL.com.au reporter Sarah Black

AFL.com.au's Sarah Black has won the Grant Hattam Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism at the annual AFL Awards night.

Black was honoured for her article and video on Renee Garing, which detailed the Geelong player's return to the AFLW after giving birth.

Awarded annually since 1999 by the AFL Players' Association, the Grant Hattam Award honours a journalist who provides a unique insight into the lives of footballers.

FEATURE
'I'm a better mum because of it': Inside Garing's return to footy

It is named after Grant Hattam, a leading sports and media lawyer who died in 1998.

Previous winners include Caroline Wilson, Mike Sheahan, Jake Niall, Russell Jackson, Michael Gleeson and Emma Quayle.

Black's piece, 'I'm a better mum because of it': Inside Garing's return to footy,' details how Garing put her hand up for selection at the Cats just four and a half months after giving birth to baby Parker. The featured video that accompanied the article was produced by the AFL Studios team of Shaun Vance and Jono Strangio. 

Over seven years of reporting, Black has established herself as the leading voice in the AFLW media landscape, trusted by players, officials and fans alike. Together with Gemma Bastiani and Lucy Watkin, she won the Australian Football Media Association award for best podcast in 2022 for Credit to the Girls.   

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Comeback Cat: Inside Garing's post-baby return to footy

Renee Garing shares her journey back to the AFLW after giving birth to baby Parker in May