Linda Pearce of CODE Sports has won the 2023 Harry Gordon Sports Journalist of The Year Award.

Hear the announcement and Linda's speech in the video below.

Judges’ citation

Linda’s compelling series on the failure of the Collingwood netball club revealed the dysfunction at the heart of the famous football club’s foray into women’s netball.

Through a series of interviews with former coaches, players and administrators, Linda’s deep-dive exposed the personalities and issues besetting the club, foreshadowing its ultimate withdrawal from the league.

She used the digital format to great effect, to engage and build an audience, expertly crafting the long-form stories.

Her commitment to keeping a watching brief on the troubled leadership and division at Netball Australia also led her to write with clarity and authority about the challenges confronting the organisation after the tumultuous exit of its CEO.

The winning entry

• Inside the dysfunctional birth of Collingwood netball, 16 May 2023
• 'A disaster': How powerful Pies fell to the brink of oblivion, 17 May 2023
• 'We're the big guys': How footy hubris hobbled Pies, 20 May 2023
• Shambles': How SSN saga drained Shimona's hope and motivation, 11 September 2023
• WHY NA board should follow Ryan in full netball reset, 12 December 2023

Shortlisted

Michael Gleeson, of The Age, for an outstanding portfolio of news, features and analysis.

Jake Niall, of The Age, for a range of stories demonstrating versatility and a capacity to tackle difficult topics.

Tom Decent, of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, for his coverage of Wallaby coach Eddie Jones’ secret job interview with Japan before the World Cup.