By Tara Murray
Some of the most talented athletes in the western suburbs will be vying for the prestigious 2024 Don Deeble Sports Star award next month.
The Deeble committee will reveal the name of this year’s champion athlete at an awards dinner on the last Wednesday in January.
The first nominee was Mia Gordon, a multi-talented rising star in cricket and football.
The scholarship holder at Maribyrnong Sports Academy has spent three full years in the under-16 cricket program and had been hoping for a spot in the under-19 program. She was also named in the Western Jets squad for this year.
Golfer Jesse Trembath was the second nominee for the year.
Trembath took up golf when he was four years old under the guidance of his grandmother Susan.
Playing on local courses at Kooringal and Sanctuary Lakes, Trembath continued his improvement and was soon identified by Golf Victoria.
Another golfer, Georgia Schwartz was the April nominee.
“I tried swimming and tennis for a while, but I got bored with them pretty quickly,” she said. “I didn’t feel they suited me, I need to be challenged.
“I went to the driving range with dad and really liked the challenge of hitting the ball.”
May nominee Ruby Gorton was made to play hockey.
With her dad heavily involved, she was soon playing herself and has never looked back.
Gorton’s skills blossomed in 2019 when she was selected in the School Sport Victoria under-12 team and the regional team, the Western Wildcats under-13s.
Gorton has now been selected in those teams every year including the 2024.
June nominee Taye Ragheb had a big 2024 on the cards.
Ragheb attends the Maribyrnong Sports Academy where he spends six hours a week training.
He then heads to the Victorian Institute of Sport three times per week for his performance pathway training and then his club training at Notorious Taekwondo a further three nights per week.
July nominee Lucy Cleveland is a running star.
She is now the holder of more than 30 Western Athletics club records and has competed at state and national level and is looking to represent Australia.
August nominee Roman Coote is a baseballer like the man the award is named after
In the summer of 2017, Roman Coote was asked by one of his primary school friends to come play baseball at the Williamstown Baseball Club and the rest is now history.
“For me, 2023 was certainly my breakout year. I went from just your average player to making the under-16 Australian team.
October nominee Reikken Brodie was a frustrated kid for years watching his younger sister, Honor, train and play netball, coached by their mother Mary.
He finally got his chance on court as a fill-in in under-13s and he’s now part of the Australian under-20 team.
October nominee Sierra Grieves is set to live her AFLW dream this week.
Grieves started playing in an under-nines boys team as a seven-year-old.
She would start training with the Western Jets as 13-year-old but could play until she turned 15.
This year she became one of the star players of the Coates Talent League and under-18 championships.
Sliding door moments are as true in sport as in everyday life, just ask November’s Don Deeble nominee, Astin Hewett.
He won a scholarship to Maribyrnong Sports Academy for football and he was focused on that dream.
After all, his extended family connections had made AFL lists and he was playing in the Coates Talent League with the Western Jets.
Life was a dream, his targets had been set until he was introduced to gridiron.
February
Name- Mia Gordon
School/Club- Maribyrnong Sports Academy/Western Jets
Sport- Cricket/football
Achievements- Western Jets under-18 and Cricket Victoria’s Vic Metro under-16 emerging players squad.
Quote: “I really enjoy playing both sports and all of my coaches are very supportive of me playing the two sports at the moment,” Gordon said. “Cricket is number one, but AFL is right up there.”
March
Name- Jesse Trembath
Club- Kooringal Golf Club
Sport- Golf
Achievements- He holds the current course record at Kooringal Golf Club shooting a 63 in April last year, while he was a 2023 state team member, Golf Victoria high performance team member and a Callaway Next Program representative.
Quote- “I learned very quickly that if you are not having fun you get down on yourself and you stop playing well,” he said.
April
Name- Georgia Schwartz
School/Club- Maribyrnong Sports Academy/Medway Golf Club
Sport- Golf
Achievements- Won the Bendigo Junior Open and was second at the Royal Melbourne Junior Open as well as the Portarlington Junior Open.
Quote- “I always want to get better, but I am wanting to win as well,”
May
Name- Ruby Gorton
School- Footscray Hockey Club
Sport- Hockey
Achievements- Gorton has been selected in Footscray’s women’s premier league team since she was 13. This year she competed in the under-16 outdoor and indoor teams and under-15 outdoor team to play at the Australian Games at the Gold Coast in June.
Quote- “I think I have karma on my side now with my parents spending their time taking me to club, regional and state training.”
June
Name- Taye Ragheb
Club- Maribyrnong Sports Academy/Notorious Taekwondo
Sport- Taekwondo
Achievements- Ragheb has travelled to two overseas competitions.
Quote- “I was very competitive and loved being able to improve. When I started winning medals in competitions I liked it even more.”
July
Name- Lucy Cleveland
Club/ School- Western Athletics
Sport-Athletics
Achievements- A qualifying standard for the World under-20 Track and Field Championships. Earlier this year, Cleveland won gold at the Victorian championships in the 3000 metres, 1500 metres and 800 metres in the under-17 state age group.
Quote- “Running against Olympic athletes gave me the confidence to know I can compete at that level and be successful.”
August
Name- Roman Coote
Club- Williamstown Baseball Club/Maribyrnong Sports Academy
Sport- Baseball
Achievements- In September, Coote played Team Australia in the Under-16 Perfect Game World Series.
Quote- “The baseball club is like family. The senior players are like my older brothers and my coaches just got involved to make us all better. It is a good place to be.”
September
Name- Reikken Brodie
Club/School- Mackillop College
Sport- Netball/Football
Achievements- Brodie was then selected to play for the Australian under-20 team, His single crowning moment was being awarded the most valuable player in the under-23 division as a 17-year-old.
Quote- “I love them both, footy gives me a good fitness base which definitely helps me on the court, and netball gives me that 360 awareness in tight spaces which conditions me for the midfield on the footy ground.”
October
Name- Sierra Grieves
School- Maribyrnong Sports Academy/Yarraville Seddon
Sport- Football
Achievements- Grieves was named the player of the national championships this year, while also winning the Vic Metro most valuable player award. Part of the AFLW Academy.
Quote- “I just love the challenge of playing the best game in the world to the best of my ability.”
November
Name- Astin Hewett.
School- Maribyrnong Sports Academy/Western Crusaders
Sport- Gridiron
Achievements- Captained the Australian Outback gridiron under-20 team this year.
Quote- “It was an amazing experience,” he said. “Unfortunately, we only won one of our three games, but it was the first time an Australian team had won a game in a tournament for many years.”
