Three of their young stars landed at AFL clubs - Will Hoskin Elliott, in the top five, Adam Kennedy (both GWS Giants) and Elliott Kavanagh (Essendon).

Derby decider: Friends became foes when Newport-Digman Bulls and West Newport played off in the Williamstown and District Cricket Association A1 turf grand final in March. It was the Bulls who saluted by 62 runs in a tight and tense four-day clash at Parsons Reserve in Sunshine.

Bulls paceman Charlie Guerrera was the stand-out player with nine wickets for the match.

Liston up: Liston produced a stunning comeback from nearly missing the Tennis Victoria premier league finals to making it back-to-back premiership wins.

The Williamstown-based club, spearheaded by coach Dane Nebel, peaked in the grand final with a 5-11-99 to 2-6-83 win over Kooyong Lawn at the Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club in November.

Sensational 'Scray: Footscray made a splash in the Water Polo Victoria women's section.

The 'Scray not only clinched a title in the winter competition, but also came back later in the year to win the big one, December's state league 1 championship. The west's best overcome a nerve-racking ending to the grand final to beat Melbourne Collegians 11-10 in a nail-biter.

Eade sacked: The winds of change swept through the Western Bulldogs.

Much-liked long-time senior coach Rodney Eade was sacked after 162 games at the helm.

Eade's replacement was the left-field appointment of untried Essendon assistant coach Brendan McCartney.

Marvellous Magpies: Laverton was one of the more watchable teams in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association this year.

The Magpies earned promotion to the north A1 with a season-deciding win over Greenvale in the B1 playoff in March.

They have taken to their new division like a duck to water, moving into premiership favouritism on the back of the batting heroics of import Charlie Swallow, who is averaging 105.25 in his opening five matches.

Raising the Barr: Altona Lady Gators had a sour ending to their Victorian Basketball League Big V women's division 1 campaign, bowing out in the opening round of the finals after entering with the No. 1 ranking. One player stood out above all, point guard Stacey Barr. The young gun finished with incredible per game averages of 29 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.6 assists on the season before crossing to the US on a scholarship to play for college team Idaho Vandals.

Gold rush: Luke Doerner underlined his status as the greatest player to come out of the Altona Hockey Club with a fifth gold medal at a Champions Trophy in December.

Doerner, who has also won Olympic and Commonwealth gold medals, has been a cornerstone of the Australian Kookaburras since 2005.

The 32-year-old featured in the Kookaburras' win over Spain in the final of this year's Champions Trophy tournament in Auckland and is slated for a big role at next year's London Olympics.

To the 'burbs: VU-Western Lightning broke new ground by taking one of its Victorian Netball League games to the suburbs.

A big crowd witnessed the Lightning take on country outfit North East Blaze at the Caroline Springs Leisure Centre in May.

The Lightning says the Saturday night game was about taking elite netball to the local community and embracing a new audience.

Frequent flyer: Williamstown coach Peter German could be mightily proud of his side's performances right across the 2011 campaign.

The Seagulls could not play a single match at their Burbank Oval home as it is being redeveloped and had to venture to all points of the compass to reach the Victorian Football League and Foxtel Cup grand finals.

The Gulls lost the big one in the VFL to traditional rivals Port Melbourne, but they beat Claremont in the inaugural Foxtel Cup decider to square the ledger.

Whittington shines: It was a monster year for Williamstown tennis hot shot Andrew Whittington. The Liston Tennis Club product did some of his finest work at Melbourne Park. He reached the Australian Open boys doubles final with Ben Wagland in January and came runners up in the Optus 18s Australian championships this month.

Road warrior: It took 27 races and more than 2000 kilometres of racing for Tarneit's Ross Liley to become Footscray Cycling Club's 2011 road aggregate champion.

The enduring Liley fought off 208 competitors to ride to glory with 40 points in a tight finish over Mark Micallef (39) and his 20 year old son Aaron Liley (38).

After the triumph, Liley said it was a privilege to share in the experience with his sons Aaron and Steven, who also raced in the series.

Lion kings: Two of the Western Region Football League's fiercest rivals separated only by Station Road, Deer Park Lions and Albanvale Cobras, squared off in an all-Brimbank division 2 grand final at Chirnside Park.

The anticipation of a neighbourly stoush was sadly missing as the Lions ran riot to win by whopping 131 points.

The Lions, steered by the father-son coaching combination of Nick and James Condos, went through the season undefeated to earn promotion to the top flight.

Ugly face: The ugly side of sport reared its head with a couple of incidents of racism on football fields in the middle of winter. The higher-profile case was that of Western Bulldogs forward Justin Sherman, who vilified a young Gold Coast Suns player and copped an internal four-match ban for his indiscretion. The community voiced its disapproval when former Western Jets star and poster boy for multiculturalism Majak Daw was racially abused by a spectator while playing for Werribee in the VFL.

Fair go, sport!: Werribee Hockey Club got on the front foot to promote equality with the hosting of its 'Fair go, sport' day at Presidents Park.

The event, organised in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Hockey Australia and Hockey Victoria, aimed to promote sexual and gender diversity in sport. Tigers senior players wore rainbow-coloured socks to support the initiative.

Inspirational Ivo: Werribee judo star Ivo Dos Santos won Victoria University's 'male athlete of the year' award. The 26-year-old was 'champion of champions' in the judo event at the Australian University Games and performed in a number of other high-profile events during the year. He has made no secret of the hard work undertaken to be considered for Australian selection for next year's London Olympics.

Pool Sharks: Wyndham City Sharks conquered all at the 2011 Metro West swimming championships. The Sharks hauled in exactly 100 medals: 40 gold, 32 silver and 28 bronze. A massive 121 records were set at the district titles.

Better late than never: Nikola Roganovic finally got a crack at the big time with Melbourne Heart in the A-League. It took the goalkeeper four consecutive Victorian Premier League winners medals - two with Altona Magic and two with Green Gully Cavaliers - to earn a place in the national league. Roganovic made his Heart debut in October when No.1 custodian Clint Bolton went down with injury.

Muscat's homecoming: Kevin Muscat, a pioneer of Socceroos returning from Europe to play in the A League, fittingly ended his illustrious playing career where it all began with Sunshine George Cross in the Football Federation Victoria state leagues. Muscat's 579th and last game, after a career that included 51 caps for Australia, stints in the English and Scottish premier leagues and captaincy of Melbourne Victory, ensured the Georgies wouldn't be relegated to the third tier.

Super Spurs: VU-St Albans Spurs produced a miraculous turnaround from week one of the Victorian Women's Football League finals to beat five-time reigning premiers Darebin Falcons in the playoff for the Susan Alberti Cup at Coburg City Oval in August. The Spurs were belted by the Falcons in the second semi-final, bounced back to beat Diamond Creek in the preliminary final and, after a short six-day break, dished out a 79-point flogging to the Falcons at the big dance. Karen Paxman claimed the Lisa Hardeman Medal as best player in the grand final.

Green with envy: Green Gully Cavaliers made it back-to-back titles with a 3-2 win over Oakleigh Cannons in the Victorian Premier League grand final at AAMI Park in September.

Cavs super sub Hamid Basma was the man of the moment with a goal in the second half and a season-deciding strike in extra time. The Cavs' title run was almost a replication of a season earlier when they were in danger of missing the finals only to make a stunning fightback in the season's second half and dominate the finals.

In the majors: It was an unforgettable year for former Werribee Giants junior Shane Lindsay, the star pitcher making his Major League Baseball debut in September with a scoreless inning for Chicago White Sox against Detroit Tigers.

The 26-year-old, who also plays for Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League, tested the free agency market and landed at the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2012.

West returns: When a seven-time AFL club best-and-fairest, five-time All Australian and 324-game star of the Western Bulldogs returns to the western suburbs, it's big news. Scott West's ambition to coach his own football team came to fruition when he left his post as an assistant coach with Melbourne in the AFL to coach Werribee Tigers in the Victorian Football League.