News

We are proud to announce the Dragons club award winners for 2024:

VJBL Female Coach of the Year - Prue Ainsworth

I’m very pleased to announce Prue Ainsworth as coach of the year for season 2023/4. Prue has been a leading light in developing sound fundamentals across the whole U12 age group, while leading her own team to the Preliminary final of the Victorian Championships, ably assisted by Aimee Page. Prue’s dedication and commitment to the club shines through in her welcoming and friendly manner, and she embodies the enthusiasm and nurturing attributes that Camberwell Dragons are known for. (Michael Dimattina - Girls DOC)

VJBL Male Coach of the Year - Conor Mathews

Conor coached the 14.1 Boys and had an outstanding year with the group. The team qualified for VC prior to Christmas and then went on to qualify for the National Junior Classic and the U14 Club Nationals which were firsts for the club. Conor has been an integral part of the team's success which was in no small part due to his attention to detail and his desire to have the boys in his care achieve their best. He brings a level of knowledge and professionalism to the age group and is a worthy recipient of this award. Congratulations Conor. (Steve Lunardon - Boys DOC)

Ben Jago Awards - Alexandra Palmer and Ruben Crawford

Ben Jago played with the club and died from a tragic accident in 2013. The award is given to somebody who represents similar values to those that Ben had. We choose a player from both our boys and girls programs who works hard, goes above and beyond with extra training, displays great teamwork, is a kind teammate and shows great respect for all coaches.

Alexandra Palmer: 14/4 Girls

Alex, as the ultimate team player, is the winner of this year’s “Ben Jago” award from our girl’s program. Alex started in our Development Squad and has progressed through U12s and U14s and will go on to play in our U16s next season. Alex is a positive supporter to her team mates and can be heard cheering loudly when on the bench and she regularly attends our holiday camps where she works hard to improve her game.  Alex also competes in little Athletics and finished in the top 10 athletes in the state for javelin in her age group. Congratulations Alex, a positive young female athlete makes you a very deserving winner of this award.

Ruben Crawford: 14/3 Boys

Ruben, a key player from our 14/3 team, is the proud winner of this year’s “Ben Jago” award from our boy’s program. His dedication on and off the court is impressive—he consistently puts in the effort to improve and never misses a chance to support his teammates. Ruben’s commitment shines through not only in practices and games but also at the Dragons holiday camps, where he’s always eager to learn and grow. His hard work and positive attitude make him a perfect fit for this award.

Julian Fields Award - John Gray

The Julian Fields award is given to an individual for their contribution to the Big V program at Camberwell. This year's recipient John Gray, while not working as a part of the game day team, provided enormous help in ensuring game day ran smoothly. When needed, John would jump on the score table to ensure games could be played with accurate scoring, John would also, without being asked, help with setting up and packing up the many chairs or pieces of equipment. It is safe to say that people like John Gray are one of the reasons we can provide the gameday experience we do.

Garry Stephens Award - Craig Dingle

The Gary Stephens Award recognises someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the Camberwell Dragons as a whole. Craig Dingle is the Gary Stephen's award recipient for 2024. Craig gives up his time to take photos at our Big V games and supplies the photos for us to use for our socials. He also organised a photo shoot for the 14/1 boys to use for National Club Champs and supplied all of those photos for us to use in our socials as well. All of this was done purely as a volunteer. Craig donates so much of his time and expertise to the club year after year and is an all round great bloke!

Dale and Doug Helms Award - Tricia Stevenson

The Dale and Doug Helms Award recognises someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the Junior Program (VJBL) at the Dragons. Tricia Stevenson is the Dale and Doug Helms award recipient for 2024. Tricia is the ultimate volunteer, always answering the call when help is needed. Tricia helps out on the door at tryouts, on our main uniform day, has been a Team Manager numerous times and volunteers for anything else as required. Thanks for your continuous hard work behind the scenes Tricia.