Picture this, an aspiring young basketballer is playing for her Primary School in a Hoop Time Tournament then next thing you know she's donning the BIG V all while leading her VJBL team to a championship in her debut year, it’s fair to say Tiarni Fallon demands attention.

Growing up in Bunyip, Tiarni took up basketball at the age of nine and it wasn't until Warriors junior coach Chris Pentland spotted her in 2012 at State School trials that taking her game onto the representative stage was put on the agenda.

“I spotted Tiarni and Rani Grenville in a Hoop Time tournament and spoke about to them about VJBL basketball and they expressed interest and came into the Warriors U/14 side,” said Pentland.

Twelve months later Tiarni is now entrenched as a Warrior and progressed through an exhaustive selection process to be awarded a spot in the School Sport Victoria 12 Years & Under Girls squad which travelled to Perth to compete in the National Championships during late August.

With all students in Victoria having the opportunity to try out through nomination by their individual school the extent of the selection phase is quite daunting. Tiarni commenced with a district tryout with only five students permitted to the regional tryouts which was capped at 60 athletes. From the 60 the Southern Metro tryouts were held at Frankston where she was one of sixteen selected.

Over the July School Holidays, Fallon then attended a three day camp where the final 12 were selected of which she was one, surrounded by players from some of the perennial powerhouse Associations.

When asked how her involvement in the Warriors VJBL program enhanced her development Tiarni said “ the coaching has been great and really helped me to understand how I can take my game to the next level.”

Speaking on the selection U/14 Girls coach, Chris Pentland said “Tiarni’s development had been outstanding across the year. She was always very talented, however, her understanding of the game and the requirements of a point guard increased significantly. She also worked hard on finishing around the rim.”

Tiarni travelled to Perth to represent the state on the 17th of August and was a key contributor across the eight games where she amassed 35 points at an average of 4.4 per game. The team unfortunately fell agonisingly short going down in the gold medal game 41-39 to South Australia.

While the gold medal slipped through the same wasn't going to happen during the VJBL Finals where her Warriors team dispatched of Southern Peninsula in the semi finals progressing straight to a grand final berth where they took home the championship 42-38 victory over Camberwell.