The Camberwell Dragons Youth League Men’s team goes head to head with Bendigo in the Big V Youth League 1 Grand Final at Boroondara Sports Complex (BSC) tomorrow night (August 8).

Dragons officials are expecting a sellout, with only limited tickets still available at 3.30pm this afternoon (Friday, August 7).

This is a ticketed event and tickets must be booked HERE.

Tickets will not be available at the door.

For more information about tomorrow night’s game, click HERE.

For more information about the Dragons Big V program and / or Camberwell Basketball, contact Communications, Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager Andrew Johnstone at [email protected]

Eleni Valos (middle of photo) has found enduring friendships and fun with the Camberwell Dragons Big V Women’s team. Photo: Craig Dingle, Melbourne Sports Photography.

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By JENNY DIXON

“Her energy was just so good off the bench. She just makes you feel like you’re bloody LeBron James walking out (on court).” – Anonymous Dragon.

Hands in …

Down on the scoreboard in the finals …

The whistle blows …

The team walks back out onto the court …

Five players get into their positions …

Basketball’s high energy and competitive nature may be why you start out in our sport. But they’re not the only reasons people stay.

Eleni Valos, a starting forward for Camberwell Dragons Big V Division 1 Women’s team, grew up in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove. Sport was a constant in her life, and Eleni started out as a netball player before a couple of mates suggested she try basketball.

 “It was so much better,” she says.

Eleni started playing for the Norths Bears as a junior and stayed with the club all the way through to the senior ranks. “It took a while for us to actually be successful,” she remembers. “But it was just really fun.”

Yes, basketball was fun, and there was something about sport that kept pulling Eleni back for more.

After studying health science at Sydney University and graduating with a Masters of Sports Management, she began carving out a career in sport. Eleni worked in the Sydney University sports department and volunteered to work on game days for Sydney’s WNBL team. “That was my first real taste of working in sport,” she says.

At 28, Eleni moved to Melbourne, where the opportunities to work in sport, she says, are “10 times more than in Sydney”.

She made the move with her partner, Jack, landing in the middle of the COVID lockdown storm, and with an exciting job offer to join AFL club Carlton.

Because the lockdowns made it virtually impossible to connect with people in a new city, Eleni turned to local sport when the restrictions lifted. “I needed a basketball club to play at because I needed to make friends,” she says.

Basketball can be a haven for so many people – the place where you play the game as part of a team that rallies behind you, and a place to meet so many fantastic people.

Eleni’s coach in Sydney, former Sydney Kings player Tom Garlepp, suggested a Melbourne basketball association when she relocated. She played there for a season but moved on when one of her teammates said: “Come to Camberwell.”

The Dragons “really popped out of nowhere,” she says. “It seemed like destiny, so we went to some tryouts … we ended up going to Camberwell, and I’ve been at Camberwell for six seasons, I just keep going back. It’s really fun. I’ve made some really good friends.”

Two of those friends are former Dragons player Gemma Fyffe and current Dragon Lauren Moran, who played her 200^th Big V game last month. These are deep relationships that extend well beyond the court

Eleni and Jack (pictured below) announced their engagement last year and are an AFL sports power couple! Jack works in the analytics space at AFL club Collingwood.

Eleni has been working hard now for six years at Carlton, where her dual roles with the Blues “chopped and changed” quite a bit. A lot of what she did, she says, was supporting younger players in their transition phase into full-time AFL.

“It can be really full on, and basketball can be a bit of a release from work … because I’m just worried about playing. And having a bit of fun.”

Eleni has recently taken on a huge new role as the head of Carlton’s AFLW Program.

“I couldn’t be happier to be back in the AFLW space at Carlton,” she says. “The competition and our club have grown significantly across the last few years and I’m really keen to move into this new role to help further develop the AFLW program.”

Building a career while juggling a team commitment can be intense.

“There was a point probably at the end of last year where I had a chat with Mark (Dragons D1 Women’s coach Mark Jeffers) and I was like, ‘I just don’t know if I want to keep playing, like my body’s really sore’ … It’s a big commitment,” she says.

When Eleni spoke to her colleagues at Carlton, she was shocked but “glad they sort of pushed me to keep playing because you just need something else (than work in your life). Otherwise, if you get too consumed with footy, it’s just all too much.” She doesn’t regret her decision to stay at Camberwell, saying: “I’ve got many good mates from it (and) It’s such good fitness.”

Eleni can still recall the days when she was just one of the kids that would run onto the court at Sydney Kings games and wipe the sweat off the floor while watching the action unfold around her. And those times when watching the game would become an up-close and personal experience!

“You’ve got players, they fall onto you because you’re sitting right at the base of the ring,” she says. “The player is always like, ‘Are you OK?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re the professional athlete. Are you OK?’ I used to go to all those games when I was younger, Sydney Kings games. So, I’ve always loved basketball.”

Asked to share her advice with anyone playing basketball now, or looking to start, Eleni doesn’t hesitate. “Just always try to see the fun of it and not take yourself too seriously,” she says. “Just controlling what you (can) control and, again, if it’s not going your way to just take a step back and just focus on the things that you can control. And also, just keep playing. Find friends and keep playing, enjoy it.”

Eleni brings passion and joy to the Camberwell Dragons and hers is one of the many stories in our back yard that deserves to be shared.

– Eleni Valos and the Dragons Division 1 Women’s team open their Big V playoff campaign on the road against Mildura on Saturday night (August 8).

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Jenny Dixon is a member of Camberwell Basketball’s Communications team and our Big V Working Group. To contact Jenny, email [email protected]

Your Dragons Youth League Men will play Bendigo for the Big V YL1 championship at Boroondara Sports Complex on Saturday night after eliminating Sunbury from the title race at the weekend.

After leading their semi-final by just two points at the half, the visiting Dragons outscored the Jets 43-28 the rest of the way to set up a 79-66 win and a date with the Braves, who advanced to Saturday night’s Grand Final with a 78-71 road win against Coburg.

Billy Barton led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds and Matt Marcun also signed off with 23 points (4-of-11 from the three-point line) for Camberwell. Jesse Macleod added 17 points and eight boards and Ace Adama pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go with five points.

Please note Saturday night’s Grand Final will be a ticketed event and tickets will not be available at the door. Please watch our social media platforms this week for updates.

In other Dragons Big V action over the weekend:

Championship Men: Dragons 113 d. RMIT University 104 at Boroondara Sports Complex (BSC)

Jackson Meshanic led the way with a 36-point, 15-rebound double-double, Brennen Burns added 24 points, seven boards and five assists and your Championship Men turned back third-placed RMIT University on Saturday night to take another giant step towards the playoffs. Luke Liesegang added 18 points and eight rebounds for Camberwell, which shot the ball at 53 per cent from the field and a blistering 50 per cent from the three-point line (15 of 30). The Dragons close their regular season against visiting Gippsland United at BSC on Saturday night (5pm). A win in that one will secure a finals berth.

Division 1 Women: Wyndham 83 d. Dragons 76 at Balwyn High School (BHS)

Jess Del Brocco had a team-high 18 points and Anna Burrows logged a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double, but visiting Wyndham had too much for your Dragons D1 Women in the regular season finale for both teams at Balwyn High School on Sunday. Wyndham closed with a 22-9 fourth quarter to secure the win. The Dragons, though, are moving on, and will open their finals campaign on the road against Mildura on Saturday night.

Terminus Big V Players of the Week

Championship Men v RMIT University, Round 17: Brennen Burns.
Division 1 Women v Wyndham, Round 18: Anna Burrows.
Youth League Men at Sunbury, Semi-Finals: Matt Marcun.

Terminus Big V Players of the Week (Overall)

Championship Men: Jackson Meshanic (6), Brennen Burns (4), Ayuel Ayuel (3), Daniel Powell (2), Luke Liesegang (2), Riley Simmons (1), Jaden Lai (1).

Division 1 Women: Eleni Valos (5), Anna Burrows (4), Sian Gillam (2), Matilda Grech (2), Emily Roche (1), Talia D’agostino (1), Neehara Ravikumar (1), Katie Harrington (1), Lauren Moran (1).

Youth League Men: Jesse Macleod (6), Billy Barton (5), Matt Marcun (4), Ace Adama, (2), Caleb Lingwood-Smith (1), Will Sinclair (1), Noah La Combre (1), Owen Ireland (1), Tyson Mackenzie (1).

Youth League Women – Final: Jessica Del Brocco (4), Lucy Rowe (4), Tilly Quartel (3), Gemma Watson (2), Hannah Morsi (2), Mia Demarte (2), Ciara Newman (1), Maddy Grossman (1), Ruby Clark (1).

Our Week Ahead

Championship Men: Round 18 – Dragons v Gippsland United at BSC. Saturday, August 8, 5pm.
Division 1 Women: Finals (First Round) – Dragons at Mildura (Coomealla Club Hothouse). Saturday, August 8. 7pm.
Youth League Men: Grand Final – Dragons v Bendigo at BSC. Saturday, August 8, 7.30pm.

Our Partners

Camberwell Basketball and the Dragons are grateful for the support of our valued Partners and thank our community for supporting them the way they support us. For the complete list of Camberwell Basketball Partners, please click HERE  For information about partnership opportunities with Camberwell Basketball, including the Dragons, contact Communications, Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager Andrew Johnstone at [email protected]

Dragons Big V Game Day Program

The Camberwell Dragons Big V Game Day Program is available HERE throughout the 2026 season.

Dragons Den Newsletter

The latest edition the Dragons Den newsletter (July 27) is online now. For the latest from the Dragons, the Community Basketball League and Camberwell Basketball, click HERE.

Partner Offers

SA1NT Layers | 20% Off

Camberwell Basketball and the Dragons are proud to be associated with SA1NT Layers – our official Compression Partner – in 2026. SA1NT Layers’ compression range includes shorts, tights, long-sleeve top, socks, arm and calf guards, and you can get 20% off RRP storewide right now. To receive your discount, click HERE and then type in the special Camberwell Basketball code – DRAGONS20 – at checkout. To view the SA1NT Layers ranges, visit its websiteHERE. SA1NT Layers is the Official Compression Parter of Camberwell Basketball and the Dragons.

Plus Fitness Hawthorn East | 7 Days Free Trial and Half Price Joining

Camberwell Basketball and the Dragons are proud to be associated with Plus Fitness Hawthorn East – The Official Gym Partner of Camberwell Dragons Big V Men’s Program and a Camberwell Basketball Partner. Our friends there are offering a 7 Day Free Trial and Half Price Joining Fee right now. To find out more, scan the QR Code. Visit its website HERE.

For information about the Camberwell Dragons Big V Program and / or Partnership opportunities with Camberwell Basketball, call Communications, Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager Andrew Johnstone on 0425 791 610 or email [email protected]

Camberwell Dragons are excited to announce the first round of pre-tryouts for the 2026-27 Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) season.

These sessions are open to domestic players who are new to representative basketball and have not participated in the VJBL. If you’re looking to take the next step in your basketball journey, we encourage you to come along and showcase your skills.

Pre-Tryout Schedule

Under 12 Boys

Sunday, September 13 at Boroondara Sports Complex (BSC)
– 8am-9.30am
– 9.30am-11am

Under 14 Boys

Tuesday, September 8 at Boroondara Sports Complex (BSC)
– 6.30pm-8pm

Under 16 Boys

Tuesday, September 8 at Boorondara Sports Complex (8pm).
– 8pm-9.30pm

** Boys – if successful will return to the next tryout on Friday, October 2.

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Under 12 Girls

Tuesday, September 15 at Boroondara Sports Complex
– 5pm-6pm
– 6pm-7pm

Under 14 Girls

Tuesday, September 8 at Boroondara Sports Complex
– 7pm-8pm

** Girls – if successful will return for main tryouts beginning Saturday, October 3.

Registration Information:

– Registrations for all new and returning players will open via PlayHQ on Friday, August 7.

– For answers to common questions, please refer to our FAQ document: 2026-Dragons-VJBL-Tryouts_FAQs_July-28.pdf

– For more information and / or enquiries, please email Belinda: [email protected]

We look forward to welcoming new players and families to the Dragons program and seeing the next generation of representative athletes on court.

On a huge weekend for our Big V Program, Ace Adama (pictured) and your Dragons Youth League Men go head to head with Sunbury at Boardman Stadium in a YL1 semi-final tonight (Saturday, August 1, 7pm) for the right to advance to next week’s championship game.

Closer to home tonight (Saturday, August 1, 7pm), your Championship Men host RMIT University at Boroondara Sports Complex in a game that has massive playoff implications. The Dragons are sixth with a 9-9 record and RMIT is third (10-8).

And tomorrow (Sunday, August 2, 12pm) at Balwyn High School, your Division 1 Women close their regular season campaign against visiting Wyndham before shifting their focus to next week’s first round of the finals. If results fall their way this weekend, the D1 Women could finish as high as fourth.

For everything you need to know about the Dragons Big V program, visit camberwellbasketball.com or contact [email protected]