Newley returns ‘ home’ for Mia

FOR the past 11 years the Newley name has been revered by Townsville basketball fans.

It started in 2004 when a 19year- old Brad delighted Crocodiles fans with his boundless energy and athleticism, and culminated earlier this year when his younger sister Mia guided the Fire to their maiden championship.

Currently plying his trade for Gran Canaria in the highly respected Spanish professional league, Brad Newley returned last week to the city where he made his professional debut to attend Mia’s wedding to Townsville Heat player and Fire physio Max Murray in Ayr.

The basketball siblings were reunited for the first time in almost a year for Mia’s nuptials and Brad spoke proudly of how his sister had carried on the sporting legacy that he started as a rookie from Adelaide.

“It’s awesome to see her doing so well because I know how hard she works, I’ve been around her my whole life. She’s always putting in the extra work and it’s really good to see it pay off,” he said.

“It kind of feels like I’ve passed the torch to her and she’s taken up where I left off with her legacy in Townsville and it’s really exciting to see this club grow and her grow with it.”

Newley was a genuine star for the Crocodiles in his three seasons at the club, averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and picking up a swag of awards before going on to an incredible career in Europe and playing for the Boomers at two Olympics.

Mia Murray ( nee Newley) started her Townsville journey in 2011, was a key member in the Fire’s run of three straight grand finals and capped her stellar 2014/ 15 with 23 points and seven rebounds in the grand final win over Bendigo.

“Brad was a big influence in me coming up here. He told me it was a great place to flourish in your basketball career and that I would get great support from the local community,” she said.

“I’m really proud that I made the move here and that I’ve been able to make an impact on the team.

“If you’d said to me we were going to win the championship in four years, it would’ve been a long shot, but it’s been a great move for me and Brad had a big influence on that.”

It’s hard to believe that two siblings from Adelaide could have such profound impact on the history of the sport here, but there’s no denying their achievements for the two clubs.