2023 Free Agency Update Part 1
The Deakin Melbourne Boomers announced today an update on our roster heading into the 2023-24 season following the recent opening of WNBL free agency.
Firstly, we can inform on the departure of senior players Cayla George and Tess Madgen. It has been speculated that Cayla and Tess will be reuniting with their former coach Guy Molloy at the Sydney Flames for the upcoming Cygnett WNBL season.
Cayla and Tess played for the Boomers for five and seven seasons respectively and were members of the 2021-22 WNBL Championship team with Cayla as Captain. The Boomers would like to acknowledge their contribution to our club and thank them for their leadership over their time with our organisation. We wish them all the very best in their next steps in their playing career.
Tiffany Mitchell will also depart the club after receiving a substantial offer to play in Europe. This comes off the back of an outstanding 2022-23 season in which Tiffany led the league in scoring and earned WNBL Second Team honours. We are very excited for Tiffany and appreciative of what she has contributed to our organisation over the past two seasons.
On the retirement front, two players have decided to call time on their WNBL careers.
Mia Murray has announced her retirement after an exceptional WNBL career. We were fortunate to share her final season as a player and are grateful to have done so. Mia leaves the game a two-time champion, and her impact on the Boomers is clearly evident with her recent club accolades of Coach’s Award and Players’ Player Award.
Rachel Brewster joined us as a development player and worked tirelessly to eventually earn a fully contracted spot on the roster. Rachel was a key role player who helped the Boomers secure our 2021-22 Championship, and most recently won the Linda Perry Award for the player who best embodies the spirit of the Boomers. Her story is an example to all young players that success is not always linear but is possible through hard work and dedication.
We wish both Mia and Rachel the very best is the next phase of their lives after the WNBL.
As is the way in professional sport, change is inevitable, however the above departures provide opportunity going forward, and we will be excited in the coming weeks to share news on new signings who will be joining Boomers in season 2023-24 and beyond.
In the meantime, we are delighted to announce that stars of our team, in Kristy Wallace and Penina Davidson, will be continuing with the club in season 2023-24.
After joining us last season, Kristy enjoyed a breakout 22-23, with her tenacity and electrifying play making her a Boom Box-favourite and ultimately earning her a place on the WNBL First Team. Kristy, who is currently about to commence her second WNBA season with the Indiana Fever in The US, will call the Boom Box home once again, and with even more growth as a player expected, the sky is the limit for what she and the Boomers can achieve.
Penina returns for her fourth season with the Boomers after being a key role-player for Coach Chris Lucas last season, and an essential contributor to the 21-22 Championship run. Penina is currently in Cairns, escaping the Melbourne winter and putting up big number in the NBL1, which allude to the potential for her to take another big step as a WNBL player. Penina will represent New Zealand at the Asia Cup in June, and then head home to compete in the New Zealand Women’s National Basketball League before eventually returning to Melbourne in time for the upcoming season.
In the coming weeks the club will have more exciting news to share regarding player signings, including who will be joining the Boomers as imports for the upcoming season, so stay tuned.