Represent Warragul on the state stage — two pathways, the Country Representative Program (CRP) and the VJBL. Play one, or play both.
Two Pathways · One Standard
The Junior Warriors offer two pathways for junior representative basketball — the Country Representative Program and the VJBL. Families are welcome to do one, or both.
Country Representative Program
Your road to the Basketball Victoria Junior Country Championships. Country tournaments across the season, U10 to U19, with a proud championship history.
Victorian Junior Basketball League
Friday nights against the best clubs across Victoria. Graded from the Victorian Championship down, U12 to U18 — with the new Regional League cutting travel for country clubs.
Families are welcome to do one or both. Plenty of Warriors play both pathways — CRP tournaments and VJBL Friday nights run on different calendars.
Basketball Victoria
Both pathways feed the same Basketball Victoria player development ladder. Every Junior Warrior is considered a potential 'Green and Gold' player.
Every rep player builds their foundation in WBA's domestic competition first. Participation is a requirement to qualify for both programs.
Step up to representative basketball — the CRP, the VJBL, or both, depending on your goals.
Elite players are identified for Basketball Victoria's representative and development programs.
Victorian state teams, the Centre of Excellence pathway and national junior camps.
NBL, WNBL, national teams, college and international representation. The sky is the limit.
Pathway One
2026/27 Season · Key Dates
Two things to lock in for the 2026/27 Country season: the optional Rep-Ready Program to sharpen up beforehand, and the Country Representative trials where teams are selected.
An optional 5-week preparation program in the lead-up to Country trials — building the skills, intensity and game understanding selectors are looking for. Runs every Wednesday from 22 July 2026.
Trial 1
Sunday
9 Aug
2026
All interested players attend. Session times by age group are listed below.
Trial 2
Sunday
16 Aug
2026
All interested players attend. Same age-group times as Trial 1 (below).
Callbacks · If Required
Wednesday
19 Aug
2026
Held if needed to finalise selections. Also a reserve session for players genuinely unable to attend either Sunday — not an alternative to attending both.
Please attend both Sunday trials. All interested players are expected to take part in both Sunday sessions — 9 and 16 August — so coaches can make fair, fully-informed selections. The Wednesday session is reserved for callbacks and for players who genuinely cannot make either Sunday; it is not a way to attend just one. Players unable to attend a session should contact us in advance to apply for an exemption for consideration of selection without trialling.
How teams & coaches are selected. Coaches are not pre-assigned to teams before trials. For each age group, a panel of identified coaches selects the teams together, as a group, based on what they see across the trial sessions — with the Director of Warriors Junior Basketball overseeing the selection process alongside the coaching groups. Head coach appointments to individual teams are then made afterwards, once players and teams have been finalised. This keeps selection fair and based purely on each player's performance, not on which coach is running a particular team.
Once teams are selected through our trials process, we keep them together for the season. We believe players develop best in a settled, supportive team environment, and that families deserve the certainty to plan their year. For that reason, our program is not built around moving players up or down between teams based on individual game-to-game performance.
From time to time, some movement is necessary. This is generally to manage player availability, as not every player can attend every tournament; to cover injury or withdrawal; or where a particular tournament offers a valuable opportunity for a player to gain experience in a different team or competition environment. These decisions are managed by our coaches and approved by our Director of Warriors Junior Basketball, in the best interests of the players and the program.
Please note: trial dates and the callback session can be subject to change. Registered players will be notified directly of any updates, venues and session times.
Overview
Everything that comes with a season in the Country Representative Program for 2026/27 — what's covered by registration, and what to budget for separately.
$275
per player
Covers training, coaching and presentation day across the full 2026/27 Country season. Selection is for the full season — not tournament by tournament.
FREE
for Warriors players
Entry to the Warragul Junior Invitational is free for all Warriors representative players.
+$30
payable later in the season
Players selected into a Junior Country Championships team pay an additional $30. This doesn't cover the full cost of team entry — WBA subsidises the remainder.
Eligibility
The Country Representative Program fields teams across the following age groups, in both male and female competitions. Our top age group now extends to U19.
Teams are only formed where player numbers support them. Note: U10 (Boys & Girls) compete in Country tournaments only and do not attend the Junior Country Championships.
Our top age group now extends to U19, with U19 players trialling alongside the U18s as one group. Under Basketball Victoria rules, U19 players are not eligible for the Junior Country Championships (JCC), so the JCC team in each program — Team 1 for both boys and girls — is selected U18-only.
We expect the boys to field multiple teams, so selected U19 players will play in Team 2 or below, taking a full part as normal members of those teams. The girls are likely to field a single team; a U19 may still be selected in that squad on the understanding that JCC-eligible players will be prioritised for court time at JCC-related fixtures.
The Big Stage
The leading team (Team 1) in each age group represents the Warragul Warriors at the Basketball Victoria Junior Country Championships — a prestigious event bringing together the best country basketball talent in Victoria. In our top age group, this JCC team is U18-only, as U19 players are not eligible to compete at JCC under Basketball Victoria rules.
Full commitment required. Selection in Team 1 carries a full-season commitment that includes attending the JCC in its entirety — regardless of results on any given day. Basketball is a team sport, and every player's presence matters to the group throughout the full competition.
Host venue changes year to year. Please visit the Basketball Victoria website for current Junior Country Championships information: basketballvictoria.com.au
Proud History
The Warragul Warriors have built a proud history of success at state and national level. Our graduates include athletes who have gone on to represent Australia on the world stage.
Pathway Two
The Competition
Looking ahead to 2027. The current 2026 VJBL season is drawing to a close. The 2027 Victorian Junior Basketball League season tips off in late 2026 — tryouts for the 2027 season typically take place in October, and dates will be announced here as soon as they're confirmed.
Representative teams
Associations
Participants
Venues statewide
The Victorian Junior Basketball League is the highest level of junior competition in Victoria — and the Warragul Warriors are in it. Games are played every Friday night across 80+ venues statewide, in a graded structure from the Victorian Junior Championship League through to the Regional Competition.
The aims of the VJBL: to provide a stimulus for associations to develop teams to the highest competitive level; to provide a relevant step in career paths from domestic basketball through to state, national and international level; and to extend the opportunity for players, officials and spectators to participate in high-quality competitions.
Born on 18 May 1999 through the amalgamation of the Victorian Junior Girls Commission and Victorian Junior Boys Commission, the VJBL grew from 8–10 A Grade teams in the early 1970s to over 1,200 teams today.
Ever heard of Josh Giddey? Ezi Magbegor? Andrew Bogut? Jenna O'Hea? All of these superstars started their competitive basketball careers in the VJBL. It's where champions begin.
2026 — Major Change New
Basketball Victoria has announced a significant restructure for the VJBL beginning in 2026 — introducing the Regional League (RL), which replaces the former RDL competition and creates a clearer, more accessible three-tier pathway for U12 and U14 athletes.
Great news for country clubs like Warragul. The new Regional League organises competition into geographical pools to reduce travel — meaning more Gippsland and regional rivalries, and less time on the road for families.
Under 12 & Under 14 — Three-Tier Pathway
Under 16 & Under 18 — Two-Tier Pathway
Current Season
The current 2026 VJBL season runs on Friday nights from November 2025 through to the Grand Finals in September 2026. The 2027 calendar will be published once Basketball Victoria confirms it.
* Calendar applies to VC (12–18), VC 18 Championship and VJL (12–18) competitions. Regional League calendar to be confirmed. All games played Friday nights.
Want to play VJBL with the Warriors? Our VJBL program is brand new in 2026. Tryouts for the 2027 season typically take place in October — register your interest now and we'll let you know as soon as dates are confirmed.
Register Your InterestWho We Are
Whether you're playing CRP, VJBL or both — the Warragul Warriors standard never changes. These values underpin everything we do.
We compete with heart, pride and purpose. We play hard, we play fair, and we never stop. #warriorspirit
For opponents, teammates, coaches, referees, families and the game itself — at all times.
Humble in victory and gracious in defeat. How we win and how we lose says more about who we are.
Basketball should be the best part of a young person's week. Results matter — but so does the smile on the way home.
We are more than a basketball program. Every player, family, coach and volunteer is part of something bigger than any single game or season.
Everything In One Place
Playing in WBA's domestic competition is a requirement for both representative programs. The full stipulations for each program are set out in its parent information pack — available for download here as soon as each pack is ready.
Everything a Country Representative Program family needs — fees, trials, team structure, tournament expectations and the domestic participation requirements.
Coming SoonEverything a VJBL family needs — competition structure, Friday-night logistics, fees and the domestic participation requirements.
Coming SoonGet In Touch
For all enquiries about the Junior Warriors — CRP or VJBL, trials, team structure, fees and uniform — contact our Representative Programs & Community Engagement Coordinator.
Natasha Billing
Representative Programs & Community Engagement Coordinator