Early in 2013, Caro had an exclusive interview with former Essendon sports scientist Stephen Dank who gave a response to accusations about his role at the club...

Caro followed that interview with further investigations that produced the three stories that earned her the Walkley. The first covered claims Essendon coach James Hird was behind the club's supplements program from its start...

The Melbourne Demons were the second AFL club found to have a supplements regime in association with controversial biochemist Steve Dank, as Caro reported...

Caro then reported on revelations about supplements at rugby league club Cronulla Sharks...

Of these stories, the Walkey Foundation said:

Caro Meldrum-Hanna’s sustained and hard-hitting reporting of the year’s biggest off-field sports scandals showed a consistent ability to break exclusive news and secure interviews with the critical players. She investigated biochemist and sports scientist Stephen Dank’s private enterprises, exposing links to criminals, his private clinic and his supplements business.

Meldrum-Hanna obtained hundreds of confidential text messages that revealed details of the Essendon supplements program and the involvement of James Hird. She named all the supplements used at AFL and NRL clubs, and revealed details of a supplement regimen and salary cap breaches at the Cronulla Sharks.

Meldrum-Hanna joined the ABC in 2006, first in radio then branching into TV as the only videojournalist for the Sydney newsroom. After joining Four Corners as a researcher in 2009, where she was nominated for Walkley Awards in 2009 and 2010, she joined 7.30 as a reporter in 2011.This is her second Walkley Award, after winning for sport journalism in 2011.

Judges’ comments

An outstanding piece of investigative journalism. While Caro Meldrum-Hanna didn’t break this story, regarded as the biggest in AFL/VFL history, her ability to nail an exclusive with the key figure at the centre of the controversy, Stephen Dank, as well as her clinical coverage of all angles of the story was brilliant.

These comments are from the Walkleys website at:  http://www.walkleys.com/sports-journalism …

And congrats to Caro from all at 7.30 for the award.