Young gun Keely Berry “honoured” as finalist in star-studded field for Albany’s junior sportsperson award

Dual star of the court Keely Berry is thrilled to be among a talented group of 15 finalists in line to win the coveted Retravision Junior Albany Sportsperson of the Year title. The 16-year-old had a cracking 2024 in her chosen sports, balancing basketball and netball at a State level with her ATAR studies at Albany Senior High School. She said she was honoured to be recognised as a contender for the title two years running. “It’s a nice way to sort of kick off my career,” she said. “It feels good to like, know that you’re among the top. “I know it’s like a confident boost, I guess, because you know that you’re good enough to make it.” Berry’s basketball prowess earned her a place in the program at the Great Southern Academy of Sport. She played for the under-18 WA Country basketball team at the Australian Junior Basketball Championships in April — one of her proudest achievement of last year. “Probably the basketball State team that I made was the best because I was one of the younger years, and it was probably the strongest country team that WA has taken away in a few years,” Berry said. “When we went away to the competition, we beat the metro team, actually so that made me pretty happy.” The captain of Albany’s under-18 Raiders team was also awarded the ABA’s Nicole Weeden award for the best under-18 player in the women’s A-grade competition and her stellar year was capped by her selection into the State Performance Program in October. In netball, her selection into the Netball WA Fever in Time pathway program had her competing for the Netball WA State Cup which they went on to win against other regional teams. Berry was one of only two regional athletes to be named in the West Coast Fever Futures under-17 State squad in November, where she trained with the squad in the bid to earn a place in the travelling team. Locally she starred in the Albany Netball Association A1 competition for Kangas, winning the Susan Howlett Award for the fairest and best under-18 player. Berry is up against Harry Watters (basketball), Mason Watkins (athletics), Shelley Thompson (soccer), Abbey O’Donnell (mountain biking), Amelia McDonald (equestrian), Caleb Benson (athletics), Jessica Baines (soccer), Ben Blechynden (hockey), Natalie Simpson (netball), Ruby Welsh (gymnastics), Ryan Lazar (football), Tea Zizek (tennis), Tatum Whalley (basketball) and Gladis Markey (weightlifting) as junior finalists. Last years winners were young athletics star Demi Burns (junior), Pararoos soccer star Connor Bunce (senior) and decorated shooter Steve Hurley (veteran). The winner will be announced at Thursday’s ceremony at Retravision Stadium.