MVP Kari Brattset Dale: “The award is not just for me”

Kari Brattset Dale shone for her side during the weekend in the MVM Dome. In the semi-final game against Team Esbjerg, which they won 29:28, she netted four times and had one steal after a great reaction in defence. But she did not stop there.

The line player entered the final like there was no tomorrow. Fighting on the line against Odense's motivated defenders, catching the ball and scoring with ease, she repeated it six more times to remain perfect, and ended the season with 38 goals.

Again vigilant in defence and with a good reading of the game, she managed to steal the ball one more time and added one assist. All for the 29:27 win that secured Györ's seventh title and her third, after 2019 and 2024.

“It feels amazing, it feels right. I felt we had what it takes to win the title. It's all about getting it out in the last weekend of the season, and it's a big accomplishment,” said Brattset Dale.

Dale, who joined Györ in 2018 from Vipers Kristiansand for her first job abroad, could not picture a more perfect end to an already incredible season. But she also took a trip down memory lane.

“I, for sure, did not think it would be like this when I came in 2018. I thought I would be in Györ for a couple of years, maybe. I would never imagine being a captain and having this huge role. Now I am super proud of the journey and how it has been all these years.

“We fought and worked a lot. We had some years without winning here in Budapest, and now we have to win it again, and it says a lot about the team,” adds the Norwegian star.

After the line player made it to the All-star Team of the 2021/22 season as the best defender, she now proudly wears the MVP status of the EHF FINAL4 Women, joining Stine Oftedal, Anna Vyakhireva, Markéta Jeřábková, Henny Reistad, Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Amandine Leynaud, Nycke Groot, Jelena Grubisic, Clara Woltering and Katrine Lunde in glory.

“I was surprised when I heard my name. I knew I played a good weekend, but I also knew a lot of the girls played on a really high level. I'm really humbled and proud to get this acknowledgement”, explained the Norwegian line player, with a big smile and holding her award proudly.

This is the second MVP award in her career — she achieved the same in 2021 at the IHF Women's World Championship, when she was also the first line player ever to receive the award. A truly trailblazing moment, that she can tell twice.

“It is special when you are a line player to receive this award. I know the line players are super important for every team. And it also says a lot about how the team plays, I think. Because the line player cannot get balls by herself. So it means that the team is playing well together and this is how I feel about this award — it's not just for me, but also an award for our good cooperation,” said Brattset Dale.

Photos © kolektiff