Basketball
Keilor Thunder’s National Basketball League 1 South women’s coach Trevor Burnette is leaving the club. The Thunder had seven wins from their 22 games this season. Via social media the club said “Trevor has brought a great wealth of knowledge and leadership to our women’s program… Burnette’s impact can be felt across all aspects of the association with a wide respect for player development and contributing to many Keilor athletes reaching the US college pathway, an under-18 VC Reserve [Victorian Junior Basketball League] championship in 2022 and most notably, a Victorian youth championship also in 2022. We thank Trevor for his service and commitment and wish him all the best in future endeavours.”
AFL
Former Keilor junior now Hawthorn captain James Sicily has been recognised for his outstanding season, receiving his maiden All-Australian selection. After being named in the All-Australian extended squad on two occasions in 2019 and 2022, the star defender has now broken through to the final team of 22 for the first time in his 10-year career. The 28-year-old has led from the front throughout his first year as skipper, solidifying himself as one of the AFL’s best defenders, ranking second in the league for intercept possessions (9.4 per game) and sixth for rebound 50s (6.1 per game) in 2023. Across his 19 matches this season, Sicily has also averaged 26.4 disposals, at an impressive 83.6 per cent efficiency, along with 9.9 marks, 3.5 intercept marks and 3.8 spoils.
VFLW
The Victorian Football League has selected a squad of 30 for the women’s team of the year. Keilor-listed players Kaitlyn O’Keefe and Lauren Caruso have been selected as part of the squad. Both had impressive season’s in Port Melbourne’s premiership winning season. Caruso averaged 15.4 disposals, 7.1 tackles and 6.9 intercepts and claimed the best on ground medal in the grand final, while O’Keefe averaged 14.6 disposals, 9.4 tackles and 8.3 contested possessions.
