Messenger Community News names its top 20 young SA athletes to watch in 2020
The Messenger has chosen its top 20 emerging SA sports stars to watch this year. 2020’s crop is as widespread among different sports as it is stocked with talent. See who made the list.
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Dual-sport talents, top AFL draft prospects, Olympic hopefuls, rising cricket stars, a BMX daredevil, youngsters aiming for the heights of basketball and those dominating with a racquet.
The 2020 list of The Messenger’s annual top 20 emerging SA athletes to watch is as widespread among different sports as it is stocked with talent.
Last year’s group included cricketer Darcie Brown, who became the youngest player to ever sign an Adelaide Strikers contract, pick No.26 Sydney Swans draftee Will Gould and world junior cycling champion Ella Sibley.
Now it is the 2020 crop’s turn.
Here are the names to keep an eye out for this year:
EMMA DE BROUGHE (CRICKET/HOCKEY)
Playing one sport at a high level would be gruelling enough but excelling in two has proven no issue for Emma de Broughe.
The 19-year-old was awarded her first state cricket contract with SA for the 2019-20 season and has also represented Australia in hockey, most recently with the under-21 Jillaroos.
De Broughe says she hopes to continue juggling the two sports as the talented athlete breaks through into the senior ranks.
ALEX HAYDON (SQUASH)
Few athletes have dominated a sport at the junior levels in recent memory quite like squash star Alex Haydon.
The 18-year-old won the under-19 women’s crown at the Australian Junior Squash Championships in Tasmania last year – her seventh national title which equalled an Australian record.
Haydon also excelled in senior ranks, winning selection on the Australian team for the World Doubles Championship where she finished third in the mixed event.
RILEY THILTHORPE (FOOTBALL)
There are not many football prospects in the country higher rated than West Adelaide tall Riley Thilthorpe ahead of the 2020 AFL draft.
The 17-year-old, 199cm Thilthorpe has been touted as a potential No.1 pick and can play forward in the ruck and has the elite endurance and ground ball ability to play as a midfielder.
A Goodwood Saints junior, he booted eight goals in six senior appearances with West in 2019 and will be setting himself for a big under-18 national championships campaign with SA this year.
RUBY PORTER (BASKETBALL)
Sturt shooting guard Ruby Porter will trade Sabres blue for the red and white of Nebraska University when she plays US college basketball for the Cornhuskers in 2020.
Porter has represented Australia on the global stage, including winning a bronze medal with the Sapphires at the 2018 under-17 world cup and securing a spot on the 3x3 basketball podium with Australia at the Youth Olympics in Argentina that same year.
She was a dominant force for Sturt last season as the Sabres reached the SA Premier League basketball grand final before falling to Forestville by three points.
I’m super excited to announced my verbal commitment to the University of Nebraska. I would like to thank my family, in particular, my friends and all my coaches for their support through this journey!
— Ruby (@rubyjporter) October 14, 2019
i cannot wait to be a Husker in 2020 â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/p1tdtAaZ4x
CATRINA TAN (BADMINTON)
Catrina Tan is proving to be a hit on the state and national badminton stage.
The 13-year-old won the under-15 girls national badminton championship in October – nine months after claiming the under-13 girls singles and doubles national title.
Catrina’s accolades this year helped her become SA’s No.1 ranked junior girl and No.27 nationally.
She also won the primary category of 2019’s School Sports Awards.
ISAAC HIGGINS (CRICKET)
Rising Glenelg all-rounder Isaac Higgins took the under-17 national cricket championships by storm last October.
The Immanuel College student, the son of former Redback Ben Higgins, carved a tournament-high 425 runs at 85 with the bat just before making his A grade debut for the Seahorses as a 17-year-old.
Higgins was also selected in the Cricket Australia XI – a collection of the country’s best underage talent – for the under-19 national championships in December.
In that tournament he belted a brilliant 112 against the Northern Territory and also hit 96 off 75 balls facing NSW Metro.
IMOGEN HEALY (BMX)
Imogen Healy enjoyed a stellar 2019 on the junior BMX circuit.
The 12-year-old has been turning heads with her daredevil moves, high-level skills and outstanding results against the best riders of her age.
Imogen is a multinational champion, having won three-straight titles.
The Tea Tree Gully BMX rider has also claimed the past three state championships and managed to claim a world No.1 plate which meant that she was the best in the world for her age in her category.
Although she’s a bit too young to make her mark at this year’s Tokyo Olympics, expect to see Healy representing the nation at a Games in the near future.
LUIS LAWRIE-LATTANZIO (SOCCER)
Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio is one of SA’s rising soccer talents but will be playing in Victoria this year.
The Blackfriars student, who was a member of Adelaide United’s youth team, was snapped up by A-League club Melbourne Victory.
Lawrie-Lattanzio, 17, also represented the country at last year’s under-17 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he helped Australia reach the round of 16 stage.
CARLOS CARISIMO (CYCLING)
Mixing it with the best is the 2020 aim for champion cyclist Carlos Carisimo.
The Christian Brothers College student has graduated Year 12 and will look towards competing in the open category at this year’s national championships.
Carisimo, of Sefton Park, helped Australia grab a silver medal in the team sprint – setting a new Australian record and team personal best – in Germany at the junior track world championships last year.
He was also a finalist in the high school category of the School Sports Awards.
OLIVIA HOBBY (JUDO)
One of the young rising stars of judo, Olivia Hobby was the only South Australian on the Australian team which competed at the Cadet World Championship Teams events in Kazakhstan.
There, the Parafield Gardens Judo Club member won a gold medal and finished in the top seven in other team events during the competition.
It continued an excellent year for Olivia where she competed in Europe and Taipei, in cadets, under-18, junior and senior women’s divisions, mainly in the women’s lightweight division with strong results across the board.
LACHLAN OLBRICH (VOLLEYBALL/BASKETBALL)
At 201cm and still growing the 15-year-old Reynella East College student is making big impressions in both basketball and volleyball.
The rising star took part in the Australian youth men’s basketball team tour of Thailand where the team competed in that country’s national under-21 competition.
Lachy also is a member of SA’s national intense basketball training program. Trying to juggle sports he also is part of national programs in volleyball where he trains and attends camps in Canberra.
JACK BUCHANAN (GOLF)
Glenelg Golf Club’s Jack Buchanan is a star on the rise.
The Henley High graduate won the Jack Newton International Junior Classic in October and in August was the only SA player to be chosen to represent the nation at the Asia Pacific Junior Championships in Japan in August.
He earned selection for the national team after recording strong results in the past 24 months, including claiming junior SA championships, top-10 finishes in national ranking events and triumphing in the under-17 schools tournament.
Buchanan also won the 2019 SA junior boys and senior men’s Vardon Trophy – awarded to the player who led the scoring average after the 12-month series.
EVELYN GOLDSMITH (SOCCER)
After a standout women’s National Premier Leagues SA campaign with Adelaide University, goalkeeper Evelyn Goldsmith earned a spot on Adelaide United’s W-League roster.
She was named best goalkeeper as she helped Uni to fourth place in the state league competition after joining the Blacks off the National Training Centre squad.
Goldsmith has also represented Australia with the Young Matildas.
HARRY LEMMEY (CRICKET/FOOTBALL)
Harry Lemmey, a 198cm fast bowling powerhouse, made an instant impact on grade cricket in December when he took two wickets in the first over of his A grade debut for Sturt.
He also featured in a Cricket Australia XI – a side of the countries best 15 year olds – at the under-17 national championships in Queensland in October.
But cricket is not his only sport. Lemmey is a under-15 state football representative and won last year’s Southern Football League’s under-15 best and fairest medal with Flagstaff Hill.
MONTANA MCKINNON (FOOTBALL)
All eyes are likely to be on Montana McKinnon during this year’s AFLW season after Adelaide selected her with its first pick at the national draft in November.
The Crows’ decision to pick McKinnon, who won the Junior Sports Star of the Year at the SA Sports Awards, first was done with plenty of good reasons.
The ruck/forward had featured in the state under-18 girls program since 2015 and shone during the past two SANFLW seasons with South Adelaide, helping the Panthers to the 2018 and 2019 flags.
McKinnon, a Reynella East College graduate, ended last year’s state league campaign as the competition’s No. 1 for contested marks.
JORDAN McMILLAN (ATHLETICS)
The rising star of the SA athletics scene was just 14 when she won the women’s Bay Sheffield in 2018, becoming the youngest female athlete to win the coveted sprint.
From the Southern Vales area the Tatachilla Lutheran College student also was a popular winner at the SA Athletic League’s awards’ night, winning the league’s athlete of the year for 2019.
Jordi has been a consistent performer in both Athletics SA and SAAL events during the year and is hoping to contest national events in early 2020.
ELLIOT MURADA (CYCLING)
Rostrevor College student Elliot Murada first made his name as a rising triathlete and has now turned his focus purely to cycling.
Murada, 16, is now under the guidance of SASI head cycling coach Brett Aitken and is considered one of SA’s strongest chances at the under-19 national road championships in Ballarat on January 10.
The talented athlete originally made a splash in triathlons, finishing eighth in the open category of the state titles last year despite being several years the junior of his competitors.
TORI ROSSITER (SHOOTING)
Possessing a cool hand and calm under pressure Tori Rossiter was among the stars competing for Australia in shooting at the Oceania championship in Sydney.
A member of the Reynella Smallbore and Air Rifle Club, Tori gave Australia a boost by claiming quotas for her country in the 10m women’s air rifle event for the Tokyo Games.
Tori is a strong chance to make the Olympic team on the back of her excellent results.
ISAIAH DUDLEY (FOOTBALL)
Isaiah Dudley is often one of the smallest players on the ground when he takes to the football field, but it hasn’t stopped him from turning heads.
The Prince Alfred College student and Central District product was one of just a handful of talents selected as a bottom-ager in this year’s SA AFL academy hub and was named in the 2018 under-16 All-Australian team.
He also dominated the State Knockout Open Schools Football Cup grand final last year, claiming the best on ground medal in Princes’ win over Henley High.
While he is not eligible to be drafted to the AFL this year, Dudley his sure to still make an impact on SA football.
JESSE KNEEBONE-ELLIS (KAYAK)
It’s been another hectic year on the water for SA Sports Institute scholarship holder Jesse Kneebone-Ellis – one of South Australia’s top young kayakers.
The West Lakes Canoe Club athlete caught the eye when he excelled at the Canoe Sprint National Championship in Perth last March.
There, he won gold medals in the K2 2000 and K2 500m titles, while grabbing silver in the K1 500 and K2 200 at the same event.
The 18-year-old also produced a strong effort at the junior and under-23 ICF Sprint World Championships in Romania in July, finishing third in the B final (12th overall) in the K2 2000 junior men’s pairs.
In 2020 he will move into under-23 and possibly senior category with the world titles again in his sights. He also is a big chance to make the under-21 Asia Pacific Cup team in April.
