THE DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES are in the unique situation in season 2013 of playing two sets of brothers in the Championship Men’s team - Matt and Brett Fennell and Sam and Matt Reynolds.

“Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away.
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take.
We stood side by side, each one fighting for the other,
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers.”

Bruce Springsteen

All four have played with their brothers before. Matt and Brett at the Eagles and also at Bulleen in the ABA, and Matt and Sam at Diamond Valley in Youth League in 2010, where they won the Championship.

All four bring a passion and love of the game which will be intensified now that they are playing in the same team together.

Brett Fennell says, “I started playing basketball when I was seven and of course I was influenced by Matt. All I wanted to do was go up against him and the older players to prove myself.”

Matt Reynolds echoed the same sentiments, “I was 7 years old when I took up basketball, playing in the under 8's domestic competition for the Keon Park Youth Club. Sam was definitely an influence for me starting to play the game. When I was 5 and 6 years old I would always go watch him and our family friends play, and I would always try to join in shooting in the backyard with him, he was a huge reason for my desire to play the game.”

We asked older brothers Matt and Sam if they felt like they had to look after their little brothers out there on the floor.

Matt Fennell said, “Brett doesn't think I have to and he is able to hold his own but it's just natural to look out for not just my brother but my teammates to.”

Sam Reynolds wasn’t worried at all, “Not at all, everyone seems to be looking at Matt like he is a young rookie who is going to need help. He is going to surprise a lot of people don’t you worry.”

We also asked who wins the one on one games and if there is that natural rivalry between sporting brothers.

Matt Reynolds, “Not too sure it's a "rivalry" but we do get competitive against each other at training, or when we are shooting around together, but more than anything there's a good deal of support between us which is great too have. He would say he wins the one on one games, but it depends if there is a "no post up" rule!

And Sam had this to say about their one on one battles and a rivalry between the two, “No there is no sibling rivalry between us, as for the one on ones I won them when we were young , then when Matt got to under 18s and got all his state training he became an incredible defender , then he started to become near impossible to beat one on one. Hate to say it out loud but one on one he would more then likely have my number, plus the fact he knows every single move that I have now, he knows exactly what I’m going to do all the time!”

Matt Fennell and Brett were almost identical in their description of their one on one battles, Brett – “Yes, during games we compete in hustle stats, (rebounds, steals, blocks, etc) and the one on one games go on until its too dark, or we can't move, rarely is there a winner. Matt - “Yeah of course there is a rivalry, there is never a winner as we continue to play until we can't anymore.  It's very competitive.”

Coach Warren Estcourt is more than happy to have the two sets of brothers in his Diamond Valley team. “I’m excited to Coach them all. They all bring energy, passion, versatility, leadership and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. I remember seeing Matty and Sammy play at Darebin when they were juniors and I have always kept an eye on them as they rose through the ranks. Matty is crafty and has great handles – I’m more than happy to hand over the reins of our team to him. Sam is very talented offensively, he’s a tough match up, and defensively I think he is very underrated. Matt Fennell is a superstar and Brett has only just scraped the surface of his talent and ability. They will definitely be on the floor together – they know each others games so well it would be foolish not to have them out there with each other.”

Finally, let’s hear from the boys about playing with their brothers again in season 2013. Matt Reynolds, “It is going to great playing on the same team as Sammy again. We know each others game back to front, we know when to push each other and when to let each other go, hopefully it will help us both have a successful season and contribute to our success as a team. It will also make it easier for our family to get to our games. (especially Grandma!)

Sam had this to say, “I was really happy with the fact he ended up staying at Diamond Valley because on the court he knows me the best and has a high basketball I.Q. which makes it really easy to play in his team as well as make everyone around him a better player.”

Matt Fennell, “I'm looking forward to it as we both push each other to be at our best.”

And Brett, “Excited, basketball is our lives, it's all we will talk about.”