Basketball: Rhys Chillingworth confirms intent to play for Thunderbolts in 2024

In 2024, however, Rhys Chillingworth is confident he will be able to plunge himself entirely into the Tamworth Thunderbolts' state league campaign as one of the leading members of the side.

An alum of Tamworth's 2019 grand final team, Chillingworth took up AFL when COVID-19 sunk the Thunderbolts' senior representative team, but returned briefly this year to play eight games between April and May.

He stepped away again mid-year due to "stuff going on in my life that was bigger than basketball", but confirmed to the Leader that he will be fully committed in 2024.

"All that stuff that was happening has been sorted now, and I'm definitely keen to give it 100 per cent next year," Chillingworth said.

The Tamworth native will play his eighth season under returning coach John Ireland next year, who he believes will lead the side to greater heights on the platform laid by Kane Butler in 2023.

"He just brings so much to the table with his experience and his knowledge, because he's been around the game so long," Chillingworth said.

Ireland will have ample talent to work with. Despite having one of the youngest squads in the competition, the Thunderbolts improved vastly this season and became competitive with the top teams.

Indeed, Chillingworth himself was surprised at the rate of his teammates' development.

"Everyone's skills towards the end of the year were a lot sharper," he said.

"Coming back for the first trial this year, I was amazed at how far a lot of the players' games had come in just the three or four months that I hadn't seen them play.

"To Kane's credit, he definitely got everyone to where they needed to be."

Several weeks ago, Ireland confirmed that there will be at least two members of the 2019 Thunderbolts returning next year (including Chillingworth), and said there were already discussions ongoing with potential US imports.

Likely to be one of the senior players in next season's squad, Chillingworth said Ireland "has alluded" to him being part of the side's leadership group.

"That's something I'm looking forward to," Chillingworth said.

"I feel like I'm more of a leader on the court than off the court. I don't know what that is ... it's the same sort of thing when [Chris] Skilton was playing with us during that run a couple of years ago. He was a player that I always looked up to because he'd been around for so long.

"He's a great bloke off the court too, and people gravitate towards people that instil confidence in everyone. I feel like I can do that in some way on the court."

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