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Season 3 BONUS episode - NBL1 National Preview with our NBL1 Pals
51 Plays17 days ago
Another huge BONUS episode!
We welcome our friends from across the NBL1 to preview the teams entering the NBL1 Nationals 2025 .
Guests include:
- Chris Sermeño - NBL1 South commentator and court announcer for Frankston Blues and Southside Melbourne Flyers
- Eric McFarland - NBL1 West commentator for Warwick Senators, and creator of Hey Pal! Radio podcast
- Jake Burfitt - NBl1 Central commentator for South Adelaide Panthers and co-creator of NBL1 Central Unleashed podcast
- Mal Crawford - NBL1 North commentator for Brisbane Capitals and creator of Ball Don't Lie Australia podcast
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Special Episode
00:00:11
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome to a very special episode of East Got Game where we usually give you the X's, the O's and the insights of the NBL1 East. But today we be we will be covering the NBL1 Nationals for 2025.
Guest Introductions
00:00:27
Speaker
We've got an array of guests and friends from our very close guild, different commentators from around the state that are going to be representing their conference in this episode.
00:00:38
Speaker
So from MBL One Central, we have Burfoot, aka Burf in the house, who's also from the Southern Panthers.
Chris Semenyo and Humor
00:00:48
Speaker
We've also got Chris Semenyo representing the Frankston Blues and MBL One South and he's chuckling so I'm guessing that I butchered his last name, apologies.
00:00:58
Speaker
No, I didn't, that's good.
More Guest Introductions
00:01:01
Speaker
We've got Mel Big Dog Crawford, who everyone should know from the Ball Don't Lie podcast, but is also behind the mic for the NBL One North Games of the Week and for the Brisbane Capitals.
00:01:12
Speaker
Then all the way from the West, we have Emac, Eric McFarlane himself, commentator extraordinaire, representing the Warwick Senators as well. And last but not least, always by my side here at East Scott Game, it's Lucky France from the Sutherland Sharks slash Sydney Comets slash casual Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Hello, gentlemen. How are we all?
00:01:39
Speaker
So good. good. Very good. pleasure I feel as if we missed some of Lockie's slashes, but continue on, continue on. Actor slash model slash actor slash model slash influencer Lockie France.
00:01:58
Speaker
None of those.
00:02:02
Speaker
So, gents, thanks for joining us on this special episode of East Scott
Discussion on Teams: Knox Raiders and Sandringham Sabres
00:02:06
Speaker
Game today. as mentioned, we will just be giving ah bit of a preview about all the other teams from the other conferences heading to NBL1 Nationals this week.
00:02:16
Speaker
So, Chris Semenyo. We're going to head to you first to talk to us about the two teams coming in from NBL One South. We've got in the women's competition, the Knox Raiders.
00:02:29
Speaker
In the men's competition, we have Sandrihan Sabres. What have you got for us? Well, first one, Swin, just off the bat, you actually got my surname correct. So three-pointer for you right off the bat. So I'm super impressed with that.
00:02:43
Speaker
Now, on the topic of impressive, these grand finals were anything but predictable. Knox getting the the win over the Geelong United stunned everybody.
00:02:55
Speaker
Geelong had more or less a perfect season, and we thought, gee, are we going to see another undefeated run like we saw from the Bendigo Braves in 22? Unfortunately for Geelong, not the case.
00:03:07
Speaker
Knox just had the the perfect chemistry on the day. to get the grand final win. Alicia Froehling, easily one of the best players in this conference. One of the best players in the WNBL.
00:03:19
Speaker
One of the best players in Australia basketball, I might go so far to say. 15 points, 13 rebounds, a couple of assists. Some light work for her. she She's used to getting a double-double, but she does a lot of the one-percenters and things that you don't ah normally see or take into account.
00:03:35
Speaker
um Definitely a power player in this game. um It just goes to show the ability and the depth that the Raiders have as well. When someone like Christy Wallace is coming in off the bench, maybe a little bit ah under underprepared or preserving her minutes, who actually knows?
Player Availability Issues at Nationals
00:03:54
Speaker
As for the men's division, we've got the Sandringham Sabres. Now... Sabres and Tigers both finished outside the top four, still made the grand final in some great upsets.
00:04:05
Speaker
And we thought it was going to be one-way traffic after the first half. Melbourne were in cruise control and just dominating Sandringham in every area of the court. Sabres came back with a spectacular second half.
00:04:17
Speaker
I think this bodes well for them on the national stage. They've been accustomed to just missing out on the finals, making a final, losing the championship games of the Raiders a couple of years ago. They're no stranger to to the big time and to have their backs against the wall in a NBL 1 South Grand Final bodes very well for them.
00:04:37
Speaker
ah Still yet to get confirmation if Ben Ayer will be making the trip with the Sabres team as we kind of had a bit of talk off air, no pun intended. um It's still being determined whether or not some of these NBL level guys will be making the trip to Canberra for the Nationals. But it's a quick recap of the Southern representatives.
00:05:00
Speaker
Definitely some upsets, some against the grain kind of fiber in those teams. But I think that holds well for them and they're going to be ready for anything that comes.
00:05:11
Speaker
Very good. Hold on.
00:05:16
Speaker
It sounds like a pretty good summary there, Chris, and very exciting finals down south. The crowds look really, really good as well from what we could see at home. are you seeing both Knox and Sandringham performing at Nationals?
00:05:31
Speaker
give Give or take a few of the stars on their rosters. Actually, this is sort of breaking as we're speaking. We don't believe Ben Ayer will be making the trip to Canberra. So that's going to be an interesting turn of events, to say the least, for the Sabres.
00:05:48
Speaker
um I do think they're an incredible team, especially when you consider the experience, the talent that they have on their roster, and and an incredible player coach in the legendary Dave Barlow.
00:06:00
Speaker
Not an easy thing to do, i might add. I don't know about any other conferences. i'm yet to see any other player coaches? Gentlemen, Swin, can anyone prove me wrong or are we ah i a so
Waverly and South Conference Dynamics
00:06:15
Speaker
We have Brad Rasmussen up here at the end of the season for Mackay, but they didn't yeah they're not in this conversation, sadly, this year because they came up short in the end.
00:06:26
Speaker
Yeah, there you go. but We've had one in East and it was very short-lived before they went out and just got a coach to actually ah step into the role full-time.
00:06:38
Speaker
Yeah, look, Barlow, lethal three-point shooter when he finds his spot. He was four of... Was it four of five? Yeah, four of five on the day grand final. So came up trumps when his team needed him, and he still coaches as well. So he sees the game from quite literally every angle, um both on court and and off court.
00:07:01
Speaker
Still a great couple of experienced guys. Dane Peneau, CJ Asuncion Bird, Malik Machar as well. Not sure if he'll be going either, but I have some hopes that he might.
00:07:12
Speaker
um But look, at the end of the day, there they're still a very deep team. couple of ties to United. Knox surprised me. i'll be I'll be quite honest with you. I didn't see Geelong getting beaten at all.
00:07:25
Speaker
After a perfect season, it's very hard to see anyone... knocking them off the perch but Knox were able to do it on the day and it was ah it was a beating one way traffic so look I don't know how Knox are going to fare on the national stage I do think that they're they've got a fair bit of momentum and wind in their sails we'll see I think anything goes this year to be perfectly honest
00:07:53
Speaker
And Chris, what about ah the Waverly women, seeing as they're coming in as are defending champions, getting the ah the other spot? they Are they there? Can they spring an upset from, I think, they finished fifth in the South this year?
00:08:08
Speaker
I definitely think Waverly can. um look just look at their Just look at their makeup. You've got Carly Ernst and Bec Colbert. That duo is quite honestly one of the best guard-centre combos that that you can get across the country.
00:08:22
Speaker
um Championship caliber, even at WNBL level. I think they have what it takes to lock in. I do think that couple of games didn't go their way this year. A couple of things, probably just a little bit askew.
00:08:36
Speaker
Nothing to be in panic stations over four. I think they'll they'll definitely make a run. um Could it be an All-South final? Could be. don't i I don't know.
00:08:47
Speaker
It's great for us as ah as a conference, but um I definitely think Waverley have what it takes to compete as well. um We'll definitely see them deep into day two, if not day three.
Geelong vs Knox Grand Final Analysis
00:09:00
Speaker
but A bit of touch of the Melbourne bias there, Chris, but that's okay. We'll let that slide.
00:09:06
Speaker
Can you blame me? but Yeah, so NBL One South is huge. Like you have an extraordinary extraordinary number of teams and a number of rounds.
00:09:18
Speaker
Just looking at those statistics from that Geelong-Knox grand final, it looks like Geelong had a tough day shooting, only shooting at 28.36%, which is well below their regular season average. But are you – so you you're hoping for an All-South final in the women's competition or is that your hot tip?
00:09:41
Speaker
I'm going to plead the fifth. No, I'm kidding. ah Look, neither. I do think both teams will be in contention. Will both teams be there? i I don't know. i do like the look of um ah just thought that the not the... Sorry, what's the word I'm looking for here?
00:09:57
Speaker
The division as a whole, the national conference, ah is improving slowly and steadily each year. Hopefully, we can find that mix, that... that blend of end-of-season crescendo, I suppose, um that doesn't bleed into NBL, WNBL seasons, and we can still have a
Coburn Cougars' Undefeated Season
00:10:15
Speaker
high-quality finish. That still needs to be ah rectified in future. But nonetheless, I do still think that every conference is getting stronger.
00:10:23
Speaker
ah We take notice. I definitely kept my eye on the centre of excellence out in the East ah for most of the year, and I thought it was a little bit... um just Just a little bit unfortunate they weren't able to take out the title, but it just goes to show how strong some of these teams are up and coming. And and I don't take the Nationals at lightly anymore is it as a Southerner, but as a neutral, it's definitely a feast for a feast for the eyes and the basketball fanatics.
00:10:53
Speaker
Eric, I could see you shaking your head that you doubt it's going to be an all-South final in the women's competition. Maybe this is a great time for you to showcase what the West have to offer.
00:11:05
Speaker
Seamless squint. And it wasn't that I didn't think. I just didn't want. I'm not there yet. So I i can't like can't be yeah barracking for that until another two months. um Yeah, the West.
00:11:17
Speaker
Look, um as I wear W Club Melbourne shirt hat as well, um we'll start with the main event. We'll talk about the women. We'll talk about the Coburn Cougars. They went through season 2025 unblemished, undefeated, and culminated in a second NBL One West Championship in the space of the last three years.
00:11:35
Speaker
um In those last three years, the Cougars have been in the final game of the season and every time. um Now, when they look to Canberra, they're looking to recreate history in going through an entire year undefeated.
00:11:47
Speaker
claiming a national championship, much like Bendigo 2023. um Who says history never repeats, though? um But from crowded houses to packed houses, the Cougars claimed their championship at RAC Arena in front of 6,000 screaming NBL1 Western maniacs.
00:12:02
Speaker
They defeated a brave and talented Warwick Senators team um who would make no excuses over their personal availability. But um when you go through a whole season without losing, it is something special.
Coburn's Strategy and Player Availability
00:12:14
Speaker
um In the grand final, the Cougars were challenged early by the Senis. um The Senis started well, but ah the Coburn side, they rallied. They became an unstoppable juggernaut and they pulled away what essentially ended up being a ah pretty comfortable championship victory. so For mine, the strengths, had has always been the MO for Coburn this year, is their average winning margin is 31 points.
00:12:35
Speaker
That's their average winning margin. um That's against teams stacked with Opals, Gangaroos, even the back-to-back MVP's team was defeated by 79 points. So the Space Jam scoreboard would have flashed up, kind of one-sided, isn't it?
00:12:50
Speaker
um In addition to their high scoring, they're unselfish. they They're 23, almost 24 assists per game, which was second in the West. um Absolute defensive menaces, 16 steals per game, which was comfortably the best in the league. um What else would you expect with a team that has ah Steph Gorman in there?
00:13:08
Speaker
um Interestingly, though, they were last in the West with regards to their free throw ratio. so So for those out there, that means that, Out of all of their shot attempts, ah only 19% of them ended up at the free throw line.
00:13:21
Speaker
So what that says to me is they like to keep the ball away from the contest. They like to move it quickly, um too quickly for bamboozled defenders. um Sort of just, if you can picture it, it's Wiley Coyote staring at the roadrunner's puff of dust. That seems to be what happens there for Coburn.
00:13:35
Speaker
um The challenges, of course, for them this year, the availability of players is always a question mark, as you guys have already spoken about when it comes to nationals. I did see a Dani Raber Instagram story at the airport.
00:13:47
Speaker
I'm not sure if she was heading home, not sure if she was heading to Canberra early, getting the sights and sounds, or heading off to Greece where she's going to be are playing over our summer. So Raber would be a significant loss for the Cougars as um it was actually Danny that really attacked the boards and and kept the pace in the grand final when Coburn were sort of taking their time
Steph Gorman's Rising Star
00:14:07
Speaker
to get out of the block. So I thought she was a little overlooked there in some of the voting for the MVP because she was the one that sort of kept them in the hunt early.
00:14:15
Speaker
And finally, ah player to watch for Coburn is going to be Steph Gorman. I mean, and wow, that could have been the the hardest choice ever. Steph Gorman, this is a rising star of Australian basketball on the precipice of superstardom.
00:14:28
Speaker
I won't be silly enough to put any commentary curses or hexes on what future representation will look like for Steph, but... Whether she has two teammates on the court or or four teammates on the court, she has a two-way game that would be at home in either form of the game and either environment because she averaged 17 points per game over the season, 45% click from beyond the arc, and was picking an average of three pockets per game. So when they say show your workings, that's my working. She's just Steph da Gorman, and in Steph Gorman, I just believe.
00:14:59
Speaker
So for Coburn, I think... It's going to be theirs to lose, but we'll talk about that a little bit more when we talk about the sort of the predictions. ah For the men's side of things, ah the gerro ah Geraldton Buccaneers found themselves in very familiar territory, albeit metropolitan, for the big dance with their fourth grand final and third championship since 2019.
Geraldton Buccaneers' Achievements
00:15:20
Speaker
The reason I mention that is that's when they broke a two-decade championship drought, and they've really been a symbol of men's basketball excellence in our Western Conference here. um That said, it was great news during the year that Geraldton have committed to putting a women's NBL 1 side in the league by 2027.
00:15:39
Speaker
They've started the the groundwork there. That's great because they have such a strong um presence there, is such a strong community. So to see them translate that men's success to a successful women's program would be great.
00:15:51
Speaker
Maybe even work towards a 10th WNBL licence ahead of any squinderellas, yodabats or any fantastical suggestions. um Definitely ahead of Brisbane, though. ah Back... Back on point.
00:16:02
Speaker
Finishing the regular season in second place. The Bucs, of their last 15 games, their only loss was the qualifying final against the Senators. So they didn't let that muck up. They certainly atoned for that loss on Saturday because in the men's grand final, it was one for the ages, as you can expect, with a game that only has one basket determining the outcome.
00:16:24
Speaker
Geraldton obviously came out on the winning side of that equation. So they're Thanks, Mal, before we started recording for bringing that up. um It was 81-78. Even though, like, the scoreline, that sort of exemplifies the toughness of that game because throughout the year, both teams averaged over 100 points per game throughout the regular season.
00:16:43
Speaker
So it was a tough struggle. And whilst I was watching the game, I couldn't tell whether it was Michelle Branch or Johnny Narkel in the number six jersey because he was everywhere. Any time it seemed like Warwick would claw back,
00:16:57
Speaker
The ascendancy, there's Johnny watching, waiting, intercepting. He was a well-deserved MVP, and I can't wait to see what he does, not only hopefully in Canberra this weekend, but also um in the Hawks' make-up there as a DP for the NBL.
00:17:14
Speaker
In regards to their strength and style for such a high scoring side, it's actually interesting to note that half of their points this year came from points in the paint. So whilst they do have some perimeter threats in Aaron Ralph, Akeem, the pop-up three springs, they're certainly more than comfortable like penetrating the defence, getting in there, getting it done in close range.
00:17:32
Speaker
But a watch for that will be Liam Hunt, who's been in the wars over the last few weeks. He had a nasty knock in the prelim there. It cut open his head. He looked like um the Bond villain that when you come down the the toilets in the first scene, you look up there, kind of look like that with a scarred up face.
00:17:48
Speaker
um But then he also jarred his knee in the grand final. So um he's bred full of toughness, resilience. He came back on in both games. He'll be a sore boy come Sunday for sure. And as you could probably tell, I've spoken about Johnny Narkel as a a player to watch. So be great to see that man cook, as the kids say these days.
Key Players in Geraldton's Success
00:18:05
Speaker
But one of the other big reasons that Geraldton's success this year has come about is the production of Verle Williams Jr. off the bench. It's come over from Darwin. ah Coach Dale Joseph said straight away when they signed him, they were looking for him to be that sixth man to really ah get in the face of opposition guards, impact the play with his energy, and he sure did. He won the sixth player of the year award.
00:18:27
Speaker
He comes on averages 12 points a game, five assists, two steals per game to be that defensive presence off the pine. And in the grand final, he came on for 15 points, couple of steals.
00:18:39
Speaker
He's made for the big stage, the role. And much like the whole Geraldton side, they are just relentless. So in a nutshell, which that was a pretty darn big nutshell, um which I think that is an OnlyFans nickname, um I would say that ah the two teams that the West Australian Conference is bringing across are going to have and produce a lot of trouble there for the other conferences.
00:19:04
Speaker
Eric, that was a fantastic recap of both teams and especially the grand final. So well done to you, actually. Surely I've got an applause soundbite here for you. No, you can just have the swish sound because that was a swish.
00:19:22
Speaker
There you go. Hold on. And the applause. And the applause. There you go. you So well done. That was... though No, you've you've put in the hard work. That was an excellent recap. Thank you so much.
00:19:34
Speaker
ah Perhaps a more superficial question off the back of that is Johnny Narkel. he He sounds like hometown hero in the West. We certainly know him now over here all the way in the East and the North.
00:19:47
Speaker
What has that kid got to do to get a spot on the Wildcats? How come we have to poach him for the Illawarra Hawks? I'll tell you what, number one rule of anything in life, you know, the most important thing you can live by is never read the Facebook comments.
00:20:01
Speaker
But the comments around the Wildcats here, and I'm a glass half full guy here, but the the comments have been less than favourable towards sort the off-season moves of the Wildcats.
00:20:14
Speaker
I know a couple of years ago, Johnny, after he had a really good performance at the Nationals of 2023, he trialled out with Melbourne United and just didn't quite get over the line. He was sort of dealing with an injury, and that sort of hampered the beginning of of last season for him, 2024.
00:20:30
Speaker
But you're right. it's It's an interesting one there. The Wildcats fans were calling for it it on all the socials as soon as that game hit, and they're kind of going, he he's in our backyard, and we we let him slip through there. So, um and yeah, not sure why the Wildcats haven't taken a punt on him, but ill tell you what, he is going to make an impact as a DP over there in Illawarra.
00:20:52
Speaker
Yeah, just to recap his stats from the grand final, he had 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals, and three blocks. I mean, literally doing everything.
00:21:04
Speaker
I was glossing over that part, Scream, but thanks. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Look, I'm just trying to hype up Johnny Narcourt rather than... Yes, he he's he's a superstar. Like, any team would be glad to have him. and And you guys are in for an absolute treat, the fact that you get to see him for two, maybe three games this weekend, especially on the ah national stage and across KO. It's just going to be great to see him there with a spotlight on Brighton.
00:21:28
Speaker
Could you see each WA team getting to the grand final of nationals? And if so, who do you think will be the best matchup, I guess?
Predictions for Nationals: Coburn vs Geraldton
00:21:38
Speaker
i I think yeah Geraldton are with a show, but I'm not as bullish on them as I am Coburn.
00:21:45
Speaker
I think Coburn are the ones that are sort of made. there They're peaking at the right time. um I think sometimes when you have a team that has gone through undefeated with such a high average winning margin, the question goes, what happens when the going gets tough?
00:21:59
Speaker
But with Coburn, the tough get going because in the games that they've had against Mandurah, the Senators earlier in the season, even Rockingham in the first Colourney Firing final. um They were tight contests. There wasn't too much in it.
00:22:11
Speaker
And they just sort of rose to the occasion. So in a lot of these games, I really, ah once they've sort of, you know, um hit the front, ah you know, in terms of an F1 term, they haven't really needed to worry about what was going on behind them. But these last couple of games where they've had to sort of be challenged and and and get into that third or fourth gear consistently throughout the game.
00:22:31
Speaker
um I think they're the ones who are best set up and matched up for but the national stage. and Even without Rayburn, I think their their depth is is so strong. um Having Jesse Edwards off the bench there is just unbelievable.
00:22:44
Speaker
um Yeah, I'd be backing in Coburn pretty comfortably on the women's side of things. Geraldton, I could see them make the grand final, but I'm not as bullish on on them as I am, say, maybe a Canberra.
00:22:56
Speaker
Yes, very nice name drop there of the Canberra Gunners in the east, which we'll get to a bit later. So we're going shift from west to central.
Woodville Warriors' and West Adelaide Bearcats' Journeys
00:23:05
Speaker
We're going to head over to Berth, representing NBL1 Central.
00:23:10
Speaker
You've got the Woodville Warriors for the women's competition heading to nationals. And is it the West Adelaide Bearcats for the men? That's right, the West Adelaide Bearcats. Don't know what a bearcat is, never knowing what it is, but they're heading over the Bearcats.
00:23:24
Speaker
um Yeah, look, the Woodville Warriors, heading over in the women's now. I infamously, and I'll say infamously, tipped this team to finish bottom at the start of year. So they they rallied, to say the least. But um look, they dropped their first three, the Warriors. and they were They were in a bit of trouble early.
00:23:41
Speaker
um Had a couple of good pickups sort of early to mid-season. They picked up Laura Eriksstra from over in college ball and Amber Cowcan came across as well. And Jazz Fijay, she just went to another level of play for that Woodville team. And even saying that, they're in the weeds late. Well, they left their run real late in the season. had to win their last two to get in.
00:24:03
Speaker
um So it certainly wasn't easy um for them heading through the season. You look at all their offensive categories. They and didn't really lead anything. um But, yeah, it was really the player Fijay has been picked up on the lightning this year who just sort of turned their season around and with Eric Strip a little bit as well. And she just got rolling. She went on a tear, ended up winning me the MVP of the league and really carried them to that playoff first. And they finished in fifth. So that they were playing elimination ball the whole way through.
00:24:37
Speaker
And they just rode this wave of momentum for the playoffs. They they played North Adelaide, who Paul Kingman, Mance Field, who's played some some ball up WNBL ball up in North as well. Brooke Bashan was there, so took care of them. They were able to take care of Lavecki and the Bearcats.
00:24:56
Speaker
And they they took care of the Forrester League, because they finished top, went in straight sets. And then, yeah, Sturt Savers, who yeah go down again in the grand final. They've lost. Two grand finals, they went down in a season. Eric, I know you're talking about the undefeated Coburn. They went down a season undefeated a couple of years back.
00:25:15
Speaker
um They lost another one the year before that. They went down straight sets last year. They lose another one this year. So that's a story in itself, the Sturt Savers and their struggles when they get to the big dance. But, yeah, the Woodville Warriors, Coach Dowdy, funnily enough, the Woodville Warriors, have made they've made one grand final in their entire history of the women's program.
00:25:35
Speaker
one grand five which they lost in 97 to the nord flames who were coached by vicky dowdy who coached them to their first grand final win so um a bit of a story there for them um look how are they going to go over heading to to the nationals eric should doesn't play so she's going to be overseas i spoke to her during the week um so she'll be out i don't think phillips goes um geordie hunter who's one of their She's a New Zealand national player.
00:26:02
Speaker
um Played pretty much 40 minutes a game from every game this year. um Just one of those real leaders. Not sure she's going yet either. So it's going to be a tough gig for them. I think they've played Coburn.
00:26:14
Speaker
Correct me if I'm wrong first up, which is not going to be an easy one for them. But um look, they go with Fijo. And if they go with Fijo, they're always going to be a chance. shes and She gets the free throw line a lot, which they relied on heavily through their playoff run. But To be fair, they just they just rode momentum the whole way through.
00:26:33
Speaker
um I said on one of the calls in the prelim final, felt like they had the whole suburb of Woodfield there for those games. they just They were well supported and they just got rolling at the right time of the year.
00:26:44
Speaker
um So, yeah, congratulations to them. no They were exceptional, well coached. um Not sure what it looks like heading over there for them, but, yeah, they'll compete. They'll compete really hard.
00:26:55
Speaker
Then on the other side of it, the West Adelaide Bearcats, not too dissimilar really to the Woodville Warriors. They finished with two. So we had two teams come from fifth in central playing elimination ball the whole way through.
00:27:08
Speaker
And West Adelaide were in a pretty similar position. They really struggled to start the season. They just could not find their rhythm. um They've got Keanu Rasmussen, who's placed for the Adelaide 36ers, leading that group Latmeian, who's heading over to West to play in Perth this year.
00:27:24
Speaker
was was there as well. So they had some talent. Jacob Tryon comes over um from college, I beg your pardon, from America as an import. They just couldn't get any rhythm happening.
00:27:35
Speaker
Well coached, Dean Neuberg. He's won six, I think he's played six grand finals in his 10 seasons as coach in that league. So one of the modern greats in that sense. But they they picked up um Cam Hufner, a bit of nine games, so you have to play nine to qualify for finals. He came in with nine games to go. So they just got him in in time and that was the turning point in their season. He he was phenomenal, really. I know he's going playing. He's on the Perth Wildcats roster as well this year
00:28:07
Speaker
you know, he's... He's an incredibly big human is how I explained to him. And I've said that to his face as well. He's just a big human, but he plays on the outside. He can get inside and post up small guards. And he was a difference maker for them. So they they win their last two to secure their spot in the final, similar to Woodville.
00:28:26
Speaker
And then they just went on a tear. They beat South Adelaide in the first final, which is my home club, beat them on the siren. So they were 0.1 of a second away from being eliminated.
00:28:36
Speaker
In the first final, it was a 50-50 call. Their centre gets fouled and a fadeaway on the siren makes two out of three free throws. They win by points. So that's how close they were to actually being knocked out.
00:28:50
Speaker
But if you seem like you're over it. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, I'm very over it. Yeah, definitely, as you can tell. yeah, 50-50 call. yeah fifty fifty co You know, I'll say 80-20. They got wrong. No, no, I wouldn't say that.
00:29:07
Speaker
um and But, yeah, that look, they win the game and then they go on and and the following week they end up beating the Woodville Warriors in the men's and then they beat that Forestall team.
00:29:17
Speaker
I'm sure you guys would have seen at the start of the season. Yeah, NBL1 did an article, I think, saying is this the greatest team ever assembled? Yeah, Daniel Johnson playing in that team. Greg Mays has been an elite import for a long time. Adam Doyle's played all over the place.
00:29:32
Speaker
Alex Starling, about a 15-time defensive player of the year. So they beat them. They beat them on the siren in that game as well. Dijan Vasiljevic, of course, plays for the 36ers, gets blocked on the siren. So they just, everything just went right for them, guys. like They they i shouldn't have, you know, you could argue that two of those games, they probably shouldn't have won But, you know, they get to the grand final, play the Central Districts, who had really been one of the four teams all year. and They just got it done.
00:30:03
Speaker
As I said, well coached. Coach Norbert got him up for it. Lat Mayhem was exceptional in the prelim and the grand final. Brought it, shot the lights out. Rasmussen led from the front. And Cam Hoof that got one of the biggest poster dunks or I reckon I've ever seen live. I was courtside right next to it. And he, um don't think I've ever seen him dunk.
00:30:22
Speaker
this season. and Yeah, he was he was exceptional. He won the MVP in the grand final. Not expecting those three to travel. They'll be playing in the Blitz, unfortunately. Rasmussen, Mayen and Hufner, that is.
00:30:34
Speaker
i' Not sure about JT. That's Shaken Tron. I know that his contract overseas was starting soon. So i'm not sure if he'll get there. But once again, they're well coached, the Bearcats. Dean Neubeck, as I said, six grand finals. He's five and one.
00:30:50
Speaker
in those six over 10 seasons that he's coached in the NBL 1 Central. So incredible record for him. They score the ball to Highcliffe, the Bearcats. They like to get up and down. And Rasmussen in the playoffs, I think, was averaging about eight assists a game. So, look, not sure Central fair in the finals.
00:31:10
Speaker
Probably it's fair to say that they're usually... one of the weaker conferences heading heading in. um I'm happy to say that on air um because that's the reality. That's where we've been.
00:31:22
Speaker
I had a real high hope for the Bearcats this year. If they were able to take that group over, um that they'd be able to really push some of those those teams out east and particularly um the Buccaneers out west as well. But You know, if those three don't go, which is what I'm expecting, it's going to be pretty lean for them. but um you know, they've got some good depth on their bench with plenty of championship-caliber players, albeit role players in that group. So, um yeah, we'll see how it fares for the teams from Central. But, yeah, great to see Erin Phillips play that final game. Got to interview her after the prelim where she announced that it was going to be her final game. And, I mean, storybook ending lot. You know, one of the greats, all-time greats, whether you look at football or,
00:32:04
Speaker
or basketball and to see her go out and hire the family there, that was that was pretty special. um And, yeah, the Bearcats, they just, look, you know, sometimes you just get on a roll, don't you?
00:32:15
Speaker
And i they probably shouldn't have won the first elimination final. The prelim, you know, could have gone either way and they end up getting the grand final. So.
00:32:27
Speaker
Wow. I mean, i would I think it's fair to say that pretty much every conference this year has had some level of fairytale story to the champions, being crowned the champions in 2025. Because just looking at the ladder for those two teams, you mentioned Berth in ah Woodville and in West Adelaide, you mentioned they both finished fifth and the same exact same win-loss record of 10 and 8.
00:32:53
Speaker
So really just kind of scraping in there sprint home. squi as well They really scraped in. love Woodville won their last two. They beat Norwood in one of their last three. And that game was was one they had to get.
00:33:09
Speaker
And then they managed to win their last two just to get in. And then West Adelaide beat Sturt in overtime to secure their spot in the week prior to the ah final round. So they literally scraped in. Our West Adelaide.
00:33:25
Speaker
They just won every game that they had to win. Like they, and there was probably four of them. Like, you know, you can drop one, but they had to win all four and they they did it. So yeah, phenomenal effort by them. And yeah, coach Nyberg, he's up there all time, you know, modern sort of coaches.
00:33:41
Speaker
He's six grand finals in 10 seasons is a phenomenal percentage for for a coach.
00:33:48
Speaker
And even though, like we, you know, Chris mentioned earlier how Thandringham will very likely not have any of their NBL talent, sounds like West Adelaide Bearcats will be the same, but then that kind of evens the playing field for a lot of teams in some respect too, right?
00:34:03
Speaker
Certainly does. Yeah. They're a little bit top-heavy, West Adelaide, just a little bit. Like, their big three is exceptional. um But you're right, it does even the playing field. And they do you have a but do have some good depth on the bench.
00:34:19
Speaker
I think of Joel Spear, who's had 40-point games in Central. Amy Stout, he's been a championship player at multiple clubs. um And they also, they'll they'll roll out with, I think, Jim Adair's heading over there as well. So, look, but they've got some depth.
00:34:35
Speaker
there um but you know certainly i mean that that top three of rasmussen may and hoof now all averaging 20 a game you know you're looking to cover 60 it's tough isn't it yeah definitely definitely uh gents anything from you before we switch conferences I'm just curious um what you guys think.
00:35:00
Speaker
we we This is a common theme in terms of the player availability. yeah Have we got the timing right with the Nationals? Do we need to start the season two weeks earlier to allow these players to play in Nationals? Is that logistically possible? is this the best possible window that we can put this in?
Logistical Challenges of Nationals
00:35:17
Speaker
Because you can't fault... NBL teams for having their players in the blitz in the preseason and do that stuff because that's the whole point of it is to get those reps in under their system.
00:35:28
Speaker
So is there, you know, maybe another time you could think of? It clearly doesn't align with the NBL, does it? But I know we've had the conversation in Central and with coaches in Central that if you go but if we went too far the other way the start of the season earlier, then you're missing a lot of those imports coming out from Europe and that. So I just don't know what the answer is. Like, you know, ideally, could we – mean, Central is a very, very – I don't know what it is like in the other conferences. I probably don't keep up with it as well as I should.
00:35:56
Speaker
We're a very friendly schedule. Like, rarely do we play double headers. We're looking at one game a week. There's never anything midweek unless it's a special event like Anzac Day or Easter. You maybe it it gets condensed a little bit so there is a little bit of time at the back end. I'm not sure what you guys think about that.
00:36:12
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think condense it a little bit. Yeah. like you say, if you go too far early, you I mean, we already had players this year in East that were just scraping in on qualification because they're European. We had one player, she eventually got injured, but she was playing in ah Great Britain, Davida Dale.
00:36:32
Speaker
And if she'd, I think her team made the championship series in the in the Super Basketball League over there. So if she hadn't have been injured, she still would only played 11 games maybe be out of a 20 game season.
00:36:45
Speaker
And, At some point, coaches have to just bite the bullet and say, look, if you're playing in Great Britain, I can't really sign you because I can't risk not having a player for 45% of a season, especially when you've got to play 40 games to qualify. It's one twisted ankle and, yeah know you know, you miss a couple more games and then you don't even qualify for finals.
00:37:06
Speaker
And I'm sure you guys have been the same. We have so many imports that, you know, they're in that limbo land. Yeah, it's, yeah, do I... do Do they make it in time, you know, and if their team goes deep in finals overseas, to they do they get out of here in time? so there's all sorts of complexities around that as well. so It's a tough one that I'm glad I don't have to worry about.
00:37:27
Speaker
And it's a bit tricky too because um up here in the north we've shortened our season for reasons we could do an entire podcast series on. But um for whatever reason we've done 13 rounds. so we were So I was effectively sitting around watching other leagues for a month and a half, two months.
00:37:45
Speaker
And it that wasn't ideal. um It's that sort of thing we could have, like, why did we have to start that late, um you know, just to tie up with you guys in that sense? We could have done a little bit earlier or we could shorten things up just to scooch maybe and, you come up maybe a week or two ahead of time.
00:38:06
Speaker
Wouldn't really hurt, surely. If we can do it things you know in 14 games over 13 rounds and wrap it up as quickly as we did, surely we can do the same on your end.
00:38:18
Speaker
The schedule's interesting because um like one of the things that I've spoken to, especially from players who've um played in Europe this year or have played in Europe previously on Hay Pal, is the fact that the schedule of the NBL one is quite a friendly schedule, like has been talked about.
00:38:34
Speaker
You know, over here in the West, sometimes you'll have a double header. It's not a regular occurrence. Sometimes it'll be to um sort of facilitate for the the regional, quote-unquote, teams like ah Geraldton coming down or Kalgoorlie coming down or so Goldfield's coming down or or what have you so sometimes I'll allow for that sometimes they just do two games but you know ah you kind of don't want to overpack it because even though you may have to say to some people coming in from say Great Britain like you mentioned Lockie sorry we we can't get you in because you won't play enough games but then on the flip side you still have to make the league look appealing to those imports you know for the
00:39:10
Speaker
for whatever the salary re caps or monies may or may not be, but more so, okay, this is the opportunity to come in and play this type of schedule rather than play however many months in Europe, which is brutal.
00:39:20
Speaker
It is brutal how they play that with their leagues, their cups and and all that sort of thing, and then come in and then play two or three games a week or something like that. thought it would be an interesting discussion points with, you know, you clever boffins because – You know, the NBL1 as a league does such a great job of promoting it and and sort of, you know, making this this big spectacle.
00:39:39
Speaker
And then sometimes you go, oh, yeah, no, it's a great chance to see player XYZ and player XYZ is off in Timbuktu. So, I don't know, it's just food for thought. I think Squin is sick of hearing me talk about the ah five teams we play home and away because we play 20 games against 15 opponents. And my ah my thoughts on the...
00:40:01
Speaker
Fairness of that scheduling are well-known and lamented, you know, stories of basketball law, to our paraphrase Cyrus the Virus from Con Air. Yeah.
00:40:19
Speaker
We even spoke to Sammy Mack yesterday, who's the head coach of the Aubrey Wodonga Bandits women's team, and they obviously you have to travel further than everyone else.
Impact of Travel and Scheduling on Performance
00:40:30
Speaker
they all I think he said yesterday they do at least five doubleheaders a season, whereas there are some teams that will only do one or ah two and they're very close to them. So his suggestion was also just condensing the east so that more teams are doing more doubleheaders so then that can align with other leagues as well.
00:40:49
Speaker
But, Mel, just back to your point about how up here in the north you spent a month and a half waiting for north to start, it was really bewildering for me to have NBL1 East start in March and then north only start in May. So east had at least three rounds and Easter before north had started.
00:41:09
Speaker
And I was getting a bit paranoid that I'd missed the start of the season at north because I'm like, when is it? kept having to check the calendar to make sure I hadn't missed it. Yeah, look, it's a tricky one. Basically it comes down to, um comes down to money. Um, the end of the day cost of doing things, we've lost a couple of teams, this, that, and the other.
00:41:32
Speaker
Um, and for reasons, the, um you know, teams aren't keen to go to full home and a away, which is what we would like. Um, as it currently stands, the teams up North will, some of them will still do triple headers, um, come all the way down to Brisbane, play three games in a weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, different opponents each night.
00:41:56
Speaker
Um, and then Brisbane teams aren't able to go and travel an extra. So we, you know, the, the busy teams will go on one road trip instead of two, which would be full home and away. And, um,
00:42:11
Speaker
Yeah, would love to see it. Hopefully it can next season and we get a little bit longer. But if, yeah, if we can get Pump out an entire season in the small amount of time we did, um surely we can just find some middle ground in between when south started, or I think was first, and when north started, find some middle ground there, chop a week off the end.
00:42:31
Speaker
Maybe there's a happy compromise in there and everyone can – still go off and join their NBL teams after playing Nationals, which would be obviously, you know, that's obviously the dream. But, you know, maybe we've just got to shake that idea off, as Tay-Tay would say.
00:42:50
Speaker
yeah i would Yeah, I would like Anzac Day to be round two in East. Because you want we our Anzac Day games are massive here. like We have protected rivalries on Anzac Day, like Sutherland or La Wara, for example, play for the Freeway Cup every Anzac Day or the first part of the Anzac Cup.
00:43:07
Speaker
So I don't want to start it after Anzac Day. And I think you're wasting the Anzac Day like event if you have it as your season opener as well. You have your season opener as a big event, and then you've got Anzac Day as another big event as well.
00:43:22
Speaker
but than so that's that's where I think it should start is start the week before Anzac Day and then Anzac Day round two.
00:43:31
Speaker
Sounds lovely. We didn't get an Anzac Day round this year. I saw that. Yeah, that surprised me. Yeah. Yes. Yes. it was It was great to watch some of the other conferences, but definitely would have loved to watch the North games.
00:43:43
Speaker
But it is what it is. Well, speaking of North Games, Mal, let's ah cover the NBL1 North competition and tell us a little bit about the Logan Thunder and the Southern District Spartans who are representing North this year.
Spartans and Logan Thunder's Championships
00:43:57
Speaker
Logan Thunder.
00:44:00
Speaker
Let's start with a little bit of a – keep it on on brand to go with a little bit of a Cinderella story um with the Spartans. Now, this is a team that were 2-5, right?
00:44:13
Speaker
coming halfway through our seventh round. So two wins, five losses. And they looked at the board and they thought, you know what, let's do a Travis Kelsey. Let's go for Swifty's number.
00:44:25
Speaker
Let's go for the grand final. Let's really push it. And I even talked about it here on the podcast. They had to turn things around and basically it was a win out situation for them.
00:44:37
Speaker
um From that point, they only dropped one game in the final round. They found themselves in sixth place of the regular season. um, And basically coming into that final round, they had to win ah to lock in their spot because it's so been ah more condensed than normal.
00:44:56
Speaker
um We had ah so much, you know, just a logjam of teams on the men's side of things. It was it was a little bit crazy. They ended up taking fourth place. but had to win out on the way home.
00:45:09
Speaker
Went 6-1 on the end and ended with 8-6, took on fourth spot. And it was pretty much the same. um Everything worked out to be fairly well the same for them in every game. They would almost find themselves down late in the fourth quarter.
00:45:23
Speaker
or at some point in the fourth quarter have to fight their way back. Every week was effectively grand final week. And then that showed as they rolled through the semifinals, just again, got down ah in the fourth quarters, had to fight all the way through, found themselves in the grand final against my Brisbane Capitals.
00:45:44
Speaker
And, yeah, yeah, my Brisbane Capitals didn't get up in this one, sadly. It was it was it was a tough watch that first night.
00:45:54
Speaker
um But Spartans got it done. um Big fourth quarter. Yeah. You know, their their coach PC just made the made the better adjustments, able to get it done. And then the second night, Caps, you know, fought back.
00:46:08
Speaker
But again, um you know, Spartans through. Tamari Wigness has had a monster season. This is also a team that had Kyle Adnam for a time.
00:46:19
Speaker
um he He left, but Tamari really took, you know stepped up, really took it on. yeah Now everyone's talking about Samri obviously went on to become the ah finals MVP on the men's side, but now half the people around the league are basically like, where's his NBL deal?
00:46:38
Speaker
um And everyone anywhere near Spartans is, no, really, where is his NBL deal? Because he just had an amazing comeback season. um And, of course, yeah everyone talks about...
00:46:52
Speaker
the big fella, Hodjo. um But Blake Jones had himself a monster season. Now, this is the same Blake Jones who um in under-20s for Queensland took home, ah excuse me, ah took home the… Bob Staunton?
00:47:11
Speaker
Yeah, so one, the MVP. He actually took it home twice, the other person to do that. um In basketball history, a lot of people are calling him for for being PM once he's finally done with basketball in all forms. And that's Paddy Mills. Him and Blake Jones, the only two to ever do it, which is incredibly impressive.
00:47:31
Speaker
And on the back of that, Tamri has found himself on the squad for some preseason stuff. Not sure. Haven't heard word if we're going to see him at nationals. Blake Jones has just been um signed ah to the Adelaide 36ers, of course, as a nominated replacement player.
00:47:50
Speaker
We see him at Nationals. I haven't had confirmation either way as yet, but it was absolutely monster. All-in team performance, local guys getting it done.
00:48:02
Speaker
No major signings, but signings off the back of this season, which has been amazing. um really great for those for those two hopefully tamarine can turn that um just part of being squad for the bullets uh on the road into something a little bit more permanent because he's been absolutely fantastic and just able to just teleport the ball look one way you know between the legs um different things just zip zap zoom it just disappears and all his teammates are ready wheeling And one maxi curl has definitely benefited from some of his passes, been able to drop things in from everywhere.
00:48:39
Speaker
But on the women's side of the draw, it was my preseason pick, Logan. Why did I pick them? Sheer talent. um You know, Coach Aja came over, lots of signings. Yes, of course, you had Michaela Kan, the WNBL champ, the former finals MVP, NBL One North champ.
00:49:01
Speaker
um amazing you know courtside courtside mum as we've seen so many times uh friend of the show we had her on talking about her there were times where she definitely had to carry this team through uh through the season um final series though Spartans came out and absolutely smacked Logan in the jaw um they really had to rely on the fact that so many teams had effectively done that throughout the season. They'd really pushed Logan.
00:49:34
Speaker
Just the week before, they went to double OT against Cairns. We get into the final final series. yeah They've got to go and turn it around. Michaela shows up, shows so does.
00:49:47
Speaker
um Sorry, so many of the rest, of course, Leah Scott, ah leah scott to ah even Bridie Kennedy Hopawade. um and Praseas Natowa, Shani Reisinger, some of the young guns were firing. Sadly, Natowa hurt her foot and ended up with a moon boot for the final game, but it ended up going to OT with Michaela Cairn on the bench.
00:50:11
Speaker
It was an absolute banger game to call, and Squinn, you were on the call, and you actually called OT before the start of the actual game. So there's sitting on a fence and there's knowing what was happening and Squin had the finger on the pulse.
00:50:30
Speaker
Yeah, for a change. alvinac Yeah, just going through that, ruining the results for us. Some of us wanted to be surprised, Squin. Yeah, sometimes it does feel a bit like that. But then sometimes, as Lockie would know, I very firmly will sit on the fence and I will not budge ah when it comes to predictions.
Strategic Plays and Key Players in Finals
00:50:50
Speaker
But yeah, that one, I think just statistically, but mostly because, like Mel referenced, Logan had to get to the grand final in a really, really tough double OT win at home against a very talented Cairns.
00:51:05
Speaker
And given that that was their recent winning experience, I knew that was going to be valuable ah had the game go if the game went into OT, which it did. And I just kind of had because of that, I just thought Logan was going to get it. I don't know.
00:51:19
Speaker
i knew that Spartans probably had the capability of doing that, but I just hadn't seen it for me to be confident that it was going to happen. ah But, yeah, really good point as well in that women's final, Mal, how Michaela Kan really does a lot of things that aren't on the stat sheet just by her energy and her leadership by being a role model with her actions.
00:51:39
Speaker
But when she was fouled off in game three with five minutes to go or four minutes to go, like as we all know, very long time in basketball, the games won and lost in the last five minutes,
00:51:51
Speaker
I was worried, but just the way that the rest of the Logan Thunder were able to rally, thought it was really smart by ah Coach Aja from the Logan Thunder to put Haramaya at the point guard.
00:52:02
Speaker
well That was really, really clever. And she, yeah came in with a really calm head and just directed everyone and just made sure everyone got their right shots.
00:52:14
Speaker
And that the winning basket from Leah Scott was all was just so well drawn up because it was, I think, on a fast break, Three-point opportunity. Haramaya got it and she went to pump fake and she had three Spartans in the air and then she just chucked it to Leah Scott and Leah Scott was wide open and off you go.
00:52:33
Speaker
It was very similar to a drill that a lot of teams do with the quick passing. Yeah, very good stuff. But Mal, how do you think Spartans and Sunder going to fare at Nationals against the rest of the the conferences?
00:52:47
Speaker
Look, like let's start with Spartans and obviously with Blake Jones excuse me bla jones being signed on that as the on that contract that he's on, yeah if he's not there and Tamri isn't there, that's 40 points on average per game across the across the regular season that Spartans then have to find.
00:53:13
Speaker
That's potentially, you know, ah it's like all teams at national. It's just really difficult to do. Can they do it? Well, yeah, the they've got some depth. They've got a great batch of ah young local guys.
00:53:26
Speaker
um ah For example, you've got, you know, young Benny Hastings, who's, you know, he's a five-year man. NBL One North, you know Spartan for the last five. Of course, Andre Ugrinik.
00:53:38
Speaker
as well and you know a friend of the show maxi curl he's been absolutely balling out of late really showed up uh in that final game sadly uh to to knock out my
Analysis for Nationals: Spartans and Thunder
00:53:50
Speaker
capitals but uh you know those kind of things happen that's that's that's tough i'm i'm sure uh eric knows what knows my pain on that side but look i i think they'll be strong they They've got PC, I believe, before he heads to heads to China over there.
00:54:09
Speaker
He did an amazing job, you know, really turning this around from a team that three years ago missed out on the finals by literally two points on the for and against.
00:54:19
Speaker
um you know, turn things around, got them into the playoffs last year, um got them into a really aggressive and strong position this year and able to get it done.
00:54:30
Speaker
I think they're a good shot, even if ah they don't have Blake Jones. I, ah you know And if they've got Tamri, look out because that ball is going to fly around. he is just going to be continue to play like he did um yeah in that grand final series.
00:54:48
Speaker
The Spartans crowd stormed onto the court and c shouted MVP. it was ah It was an awesome moment in lots of respects. And, of course, ah we we haven't even got to the fan favorite in Darcy Ryder.
00:55:02
Speaker
um It was the Darcy Ryder section at the NBL 1 men's grand finals and even the semifinals. as That boy has a as a yeah great following, of course. it's It's just on the back of you know strong performances. He's really been born out of late. and Look, can they go deep? Yeah, it's going to be tough without their if both pieces are missing.
00:55:25
Speaker
If one and Tamri can play... They're in with a real shot. I think this team is set up. And, of course, don't forget PC um was there coaching the Spartans' women. So Wood has some experience in that regard.
00:55:39
Speaker
Obviously, things didn't go brilliantly well for them, but has been through it, knows the process. It's simple, Nationals. Just win. um Don't lose and you'll be fine. no Easy peasy.
00:55:52
Speaker
And, of course, on the Logan side of things, you know, I've already spoken to Michaela Cairn, um had her on the show this week. It's, you everyone's on board, everyone's ready.
00:56:04
Speaker
it's It's going to be a continuation of what we saw. You've got a team. who can ah really, you know, push, fight late in games, not ah not afraid to go to OT or double OT.
00:56:16
Speaker
You know, players, you key players can be fouled out and, as we saw on the bigger stage, you know, they were able to roll through it, adjust, you know. So, yeah.
00:56:30
Speaker
I think they're, ah I definitely have higher hopes, um, for on the Logan side of things, just because they don't have that NBL draw or potential draw for some of their players. But, uh, yeah.
00:56:43
Speaker
Um, and I also have to give out a shout out of course, to, uh, to Steph, one of Blake's former, uh, former ah teammates who, you clued me in on the, uh, on that award stat that, uh,
00:56:57
Speaker
o he gave me, I told him I'd share the love and
Darcy Ryder's Heroism
00:57:02
Speaker
let him know. But yeah, Logan, I definitely have his, excuse me, going deeper.
00:57:09
Speaker
I read that Darcy Ryder pulled two people from a burning car after the grand final.
00:57:16
Speaker
Is that correct? I have not read that. um I haven't heard that. love i i kind of Let's put it this way.
00:57:27
Speaker
Darcy Ryder was the winner of the Community Player Award. so
00:57:34
Speaker
It's probably the kind of thing, you probably did of thing yeah, young Dicey very well might have done. so it's not something I've been across, but yeah, it sounds like the sort of thing the kid would do.
00:57:47
Speaker
I've ah consulted ah the Google machine and and I quote from the Northwest Weekly, shout out the Northwest Weekly, Darcy Ryder was still buzzing from his grand final win having he just helped the Southern District Spartans to their first men's grand final in 19 years.
00:58:02
Speaker
Perhaps not the most memorable thing. After the game, he says, i was driving home to get ready to go out and celebrate and there was a massive car crash and there was two people trapped in the car. So, yes, you um he says it was on fire.
00:58:15
Speaker
Yeah. And they ran in and and and pulled um the the wife from the car. So, yeah, incredible. that's That's way better than any championship win. That's that's absolutely insane.
00:58:26
Speaker
So shout out to Darcy Ryder. Far out. There you go. Proves he's a cool head under under some difficult circumstances. So, yeah, ah the kind of guy you want on your team no matter what. And from everything, I haven't heard a bad word about the kid. That just, you know, tips it over the top, let's be honest.
00:58:46
Speaker
Very good. at Great recap from the North as well, Mal. ah Very nicely done. Very well covered for both finals and both teams as well, especially that you got to be there firsthand for the action for both grand finals. So thank you so much for that.
00:59:02
Speaker
ah And last but not least, from the host conference. Definitely least. not at all. Leaving the host conference to last, given that the Nationals are held in Canberra.
00:59:17
Speaker
NBL One East represent. Lockie, take it away.
Unexpected Entries and Recaps: Illawarra Hawks
00:59:21
Speaker
What are you going to teach ah Eric and Mel here about what to expect from the East at this Nationals? Eric, he's all primed and ready.
00:59:29
Speaker
Well, I'm going to start with the Illawarra Hawks, who are only here by virtue of the Knox Raiders men pulling out of the competition.
00:59:41
Speaker
d Default, default, default, default. The two sweetest ah So, Illawarra Hawks, they were squint's tip to win it all. And I think it was a very good tip, even though they didn't come up trumps in the grand final, because the East finished a three-way tie for first at 15 five.
01:00:02
Speaker
And the Illawarra Hawks actually finished as the top seed with ah Todd Blanchfield, Kobe McDowell-White, Lockie Dent coming back midway through the season. They brought in Matt Nims as their import.
01:00:14
Speaker
They were a three-point shooting team from the start. They had the worst offensive rebounding percentage in the league. And that was because they averaged 6.5 more three-point attempts per game than anyone.
01:00:28
Speaker
They put up over per game. raise her game and hit them at 36%.
01:00:35
Speaker
So they came into the finals and they got, well, part partly controversial, partly injury-related, they got a Comets team missing for Wally Bales and Dave Ohickey and were up 66-24 at halftime of a 1v4 qualifying final and went on to win that They just, mean...
01:00:58
Speaker
ah i mean Comets did all they could, but, um you know, Mims, McDowell White, Lockie Dent, Todd Blanchfield, and then Kyle Leslie stepping up in CJ Moran's absence.
01:01:12
Speaker
um They just monstered them. They went through to the preliminary final against the COE, who were one of those teams that finished... 15 and five Blanchfield, 27 and 15, Coburn McDowell White, 19, nine and 11, finishing a rebound shy of a triple double. And they just, they, they won it by nine, but it probably wasn't that close until the CLO went on a bit of a late run.
01:01:42
Speaker
And then in the grand final, it was ah styles make fights. You had Canberra who want to get it done in the half quarter through Glenn Morrison. against Illawarra, who are going to come down. It was highest pace in the league by far, which is Illawarra, against a team that's middle of the pack, and that is but that's a speedy Canberra team compared to what we've seen in past seasons. so And Illawarra, well, they had their chances. They were leading late, but fell 99-91.
01:02:13
Speaker
um CJ Moran was back. Todd Blanchfield played the full 40 minutes. He had 29 and 14. Four of the starters played 35 minutes or more, and I think you could just see it in their legs at the end.
01:02:26
Speaker
ah The three-starter coming up short. That's what gets tough. You shoot a lot of threes, your legs get a bit heavy. Three-start coming up short, but still an excellent season for Illawarra because they finished 2-18 in 2024.
01:02:39
Speaker
ah They had an import come in late who was on a scoring blitz in 2024, but ultimately they just couldn't get a lot done. They came in, they used their connections from the north, um from Darwin, got this team together.
01:02:52
Speaker
i think Joel Carlo had a big influence in getting players down. ah The Salty's disbanding kind of helped. And they really put together a team that, you know, fit fit their mantra. They've got Todd who can shoot the three.
01:03:06
Speaker
Matt Mims is a 39% three-point shooter in college. And that's what they're going to stick to here. um Blanchfield and McDowell White, they're playing for Illawarra in the Blitz right now. So that pretty much tells us all you need to know about their availability.
01:03:20
Speaker
ah So it's definitely going to be a time for someone like, if they're to play the same way, it's going to be Lockie Dent and Matt Mims who have to step up. because they are the next two on the list as far as three-point shooting goes will be interesting to see if they do change a bit um cj moran's a real good rim protector but he's not going to back people down in the paint um i saw him try it in the game i think squin we did the game against inner west and he went to the rack three times in a row and then on the fourth time he were tried to back someone down to the pay to
01:03:55
Speaker
looked like he had no business being there. um Kyle Leslie, originally from Shoalhaven, he's been around the traps in Waratah, been in college. He stepped up big. I think he had three double-figure games um in scoring while CJ was away at Asia Cup.
01:04:12
Speaker
So i think Illawarra, they're going to bring a big crowd there. ah You know, second chance, They've got nothing to lose. They may as well go out and give it a red hot crack.
01:04:25
Speaker
And considering, ah yes, they're losing Toddy. They're losing um Kobe. Brad Ballinger, I think, has gone to college by now. He definitely wasn't there for the grand final. or But we keep talking about all these other teams that have lost NBL caliber players as well. So ah nothing would surprise me from the Illawarra Hawks.
01:04:44
Speaker
I think Lockie Dent, he was the leader for the team last year. And I think he's got a real good chance to step up. And I think playing over there in Germany, he doesn't get the same hype. And he keeps going back to Germany and no one really thinks about him.
01:04:56
Speaker
But he's definitely a really, really strong player. um And honestly, yeah, I mean... We could just as easily be talking about Illawarra as the champions of Canberra as the wildcard in this situation.
01:05:11
Speaker
Yeah, i definitely love Lockie Dent. Obviously, he spent a couple of years up here with the with the Brizzy Caps. um But, you know, he has won a championship over there with the PSK Lions in Germany as well.
01:05:23
Speaker
And he is the sort of player who can definitely throw a team up on his back and ah lob away from three. And if if he's having his night, who look out everyone else because he is an absolute weapon when he's firing.
01:05:39
Speaker
And look, they're going to be real fun to watch. They're the kind of team that's like, if you you score 100, we'll go score 110. Don't worry about it.
Canberra Gunners' Path to Victory
01:05:48
Speaker
Which brings me to Coach Pete, still waiting on the jersey, the Canberra Gunners, who are, I'm not going to say the antithesis,
01:06:02
Speaker
To the Illawarra Hawks, but definitely very, they're of different team. They like to play through the Brindabella Beacon, Glenn Morrison, four-time All-Star Five. And NBL One East has only existed for four seasons. So undoubtedly the premier big man in the NBL One East could easily have won NBL One East Grand Final MVP for a second time. Yeah.
01:06:28
Speaker
I mean, people have been saying that i mean that he should have, but i mean the trophy is what matters. And the Canberra Gunners, so they they ended up finishing ah finishing third and that tiga in that ah tie break. So they had to they had to make the long trip all the way from Belcon and up to the ah AIS for their qualifying final.
01:06:50
Speaker
The big 10-minute drive, it's a tough one. But they got up 88.10. 10 minutes, if that. If that. Yeah, if that. and um How many ah demerit points have you got left now, Swin, from the sound of that?
01:07:03
Speaker
Mate, I used to walk. Because I didn't have my license back then, but I used to walk.
01:07:10
Speaker
and um like Sounds like she's got the license back now, though. yeah they ah They knocked off the centre of excellence with the fourth quarter Canberra Gunners. That's going to be a theme you will hear about in this little preview because it was a tight one until Canberra pulled away with a twenty five eighteen fourth quarter and name that goes a little bit under the radar. He's a young player, two time young player finalist in NBL one is Cam Pender.
01:07:39
Speaker
He was injured for the first half of the season. Uh, coach Pete Herrick is huge on him. We're both huge on him. He had 17 and 13. He just plays a really good foil for the likes of Mayfield, Will Mayfield, Glenn Morrison, uh, James Tui and Derek Imelofianwu.
01:07:57
Speaker
Uh, yeah You know, shot 51% from the field, 64% from two-point range, and that's just having Glenn there, really solid player, usually going to get a high shooting percentage from the Canberra Gunners. They get good looks, which, again, they needed it in the fourth quarter against the Sutherland Sharks because after being up 25-11 in their preliminary final,
01:08:29
Speaker
They lost the middle portion of the game 58-35 and trailed by nine.
01:08:41
Speaker
And then won the fourth quarter 24-7.
01:08:46
Speaker
and shot, this time it was from deep, and showed they can do it in another way. They shot 55% from three-point range. So yes, it goes through Glenn, but it doesn't always result in him going to the basket. He can find players out of the post.
01:09:01
Speaker
He can find Mayfield, who's a good shooter. He can find James Toohey, who is Mr. 3 and D. I think Squinn would agree. I think he's a two-time Defensive Player of the Year finalist in this league.
01:09:12
Speaker
And then Will Mayfield is Defensive Player of the Year. So whilst Illawarra will outscore you, Canberra will suffocate you. And that is why scoreline for the grand final finished just about smack bang in the middle. It finished to the Canberra Gunners.
01:09:32
Speaker
Although they trailed by, i think they trailed by six with five minutes to play. My memory's a bit hazy, which is also what I was drinking at the bar. Actually, no, I was having lagers because the hazies were i non-alcoholic.
01:09:44
Speaker
But I go on. ah Yes, 99, 91. And as i mentioned It was, you know, the Illawarra Hawks got a bit tired late, whereas Glenn Morrison only played 29 minutes. He did have a bit of foul trouble, but the fact he stayed out of foul trouble after coming back with those three fouls.
01:10:04
Speaker
Man, he was actually kind of refreshed. Cam Pender only played 27 minutes. James Toohey played 32. Mayfield and Emilio Fionnwur played big minutes. And I think Derek Emilio Fionnwur is a player to watch for this team.
01:10:18
Speaker
He 28 points in the grand final, really stepped up in the backcourt for them. um took a lot of the load off on a night where Illawarra's main objective would be to shut down Morrison and Mayfield.
01:10:32
Speaker
Mayfield only had nine points, had nine assists, but Emilio Fiongur came up with 28 points in the grand final. And Glenn Morrison shot 11 of 19 from the field and six of eight at the line.
01:10:46
Speaker
I think he had more field goal mates in this game than he had words in his grand final speech as losing captain last year.
01:10:55
Speaker
Because it was a one-liner. He just said, Maitland, kill it at Nationals. Bye. ah But it's going to be play through the post, play good defense, and not having NBL players is a blessing in this situation.
01:11:16
Speaker
They're losing nobody. Everyone comes back. They've got the big home crowd. It's at Tuggies, which is the bigger Canberra Stadium rather than Belconnen, which is going to be great. They've actually played a few games down there this season as well. So it's not like they're coming into an arena they don't usually play in. They've got experience playing there. It's home ground for them.
01:11:36
Speaker
um i'm really i'm really bullish on the canberra gunners in this in this tournament um i think they can and think they can go all the way against some of these teams that especially being short-handed i mean if you remember three years ago i mean dalphie smashing home those two massive dunks and then they just didn't score they just didn't score a point after that against frankston if they can just put the ball the basket a couple of times after that perhaps we're talking about a canberra team that's been to a national finals championship game before So, you know, I say don't sleep on the East and especially don't sleep on this Canberra Gunners team.
01:12:15
Speaker
Very good. Yeah, Gunners on home ground. I think it's the first time in NBL1 history that a home side is playing Nationals on home soil, especially after winning the chip because sometimes with these tournaments...
01:12:31
Speaker
ah You know, even with the FIBA tournaments, the host nation gets automatic entry. So they've certainly earned their right to be there. Is now the time to remind you all um that no home state team has actually ever won nationals?
01:12:49
Speaker
Sounds like time to ah so like time to change that. Who invited Buzz Killington in here?
01:12:58
Speaker
Just throwing it out there. It's North's time, baby. That's what I'm saying.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' Strategy and Prospects
01:13:02
Speaker
ah But, of course, East, thanks for that wild card, we had the two men's teams, but we've also got the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with my personalised Alex Delaney jersey, which even she doesn't have because the club didn't shell out for personalised jerseys for game day. Only fans could get them.
01:13:22
Speaker
Weird. Wait, what? So I have a jersey. I have a number four jersey with Delaney on the back for the game. She just has number four. nogen No name. Ever considered a jersey swap?
01:13:34
Speaker
Absolutely not. but Gosh, between the three of you. Oh, my gosh. Absolute standoff. But Manly Warringah. They were absolute. From five weeks in, they were just absolutely unstoppable.
01:13:51
Speaker
They were 2-2 to start the season. Their losses were only to Auburn-Wodonga and Norths. And since then, they haven't lost a game. And for the most part, they haven't really looked like losing a game. I think the closest they really came was in the final week of the regular season in what was Manly versus COE, both teams lo missing three starters.
01:14:14
Speaker
ah which they got up in that one 75-71. And even that loss to Norse, they were up by 17 with three minutes to play and Norse came back and won it in overtime. you know Absolute game for the ages.
01:14:27
Speaker
If there's one thing you can say about this manly Warringah site, it is cold, calculated, ruthless ball movement from the opening possession. And if you want evidence of that, watch the first possession of the East Women's Grand Final where Second in MVP voting, Taylor Wertz on the wing gives up a good look for a great look to Josie Bullman, the fifth scoring option in that starting lineup.
01:14:55
Speaker
Splashes the three home. I knew the game was done then. It was 17 seconds in and I knew it was done. COA are a very good team, but as soon as I knew that Manly were sticking to their principles in the grand final and no one was going to grow horns, I knew it was done.
01:15:11
Speaker
And that is what you're going to get from them all all game. They just, they play with the slowest pace of any team in the league, but that's because they're a team that if they don't find their shot in six or seven seconds, they're happy to use 18 or 19 and trust that they will find a good look.
01:15:30
Speaker
And they usually do. ah So but go to their their finals campaign. they They knocked off Aubrey Wodonga in the qualifying final. That was close until a minute before halftime when Nate Kerwin called a timeout and drew up something that got them an 8-0 run to be up 13 at halftime. And they won that 100-84. moved to... eighty four and moved on to Well, the game against Newcastle in the preliminary final, I think bodes very well for their chances here because all they had to do in that game was slow down, if not stop, Nicole Munger, the three-time MVP.
01:16:13
Speaker
And that's what they did. Because Munger had 17, 10, and 7, but that was never going to be enough against this Manly team. And Manly... We talk about you know most teams at this stage will have good defenders, but they have a lot of good defenders who can defend multiple positions.
01:16:28
Speaker
Annie Henderson, Josie Ballman, Taylor Wirtz, Alex Delaney, they can defend three or four positions, all of them. And then even the players who you know you might not be able to slide up a position or two on defense are still pretty tenacious. When you think of Zoe Miller, you probably can't throw her in to defend the three or the four spot.
01:16:47
Speaker
But she can still go at people. And then, of course, the grand final. It was twenty four to seven It was 51-24 at halftime.
01:17:00
Speaker
It was just an absolute clinic. Taylor Wirtz had five threes in the first half, and if you let her get hot, It's game over, and they find her really good looks. Zoe Miller gets in, drives in, finds options if she's not getting to the basket.
01:17:18
Speaker
We had Sammy Mack on last night who argued that ah Zoe maybe could have been grand final MVP over Taylor, but we only got one vote. It was, who is your MVP? There was no 3-2-1s.
01:17:30
Speaker
ah But yeah, just watch for Manley's ball movement. Regularly five starters in double figures. That'll be Miller, Delaney, Taylor Wirtz, Kim Dickinson, the captain, the honey badger, Josie Ballman, and then players like Annie Henderson.
01:17:48
Speaker
Annie Henderson could score two points a game. And well, she scored zero points in the grand final and had eight rebounds, three assists, and was a defensive menace. Um, As anyone at Manly will tell you, she's been robbed for Defensive Player of the Year for the past, what, six years, Squint?
01:18:06
Speaker
Yeah, but that's Manly. yeah i mean Who are they without that criticism? yeah True. um I mean, when you're coming up against the likes of Lauren Nicholson and ah Kate Seabom for Defensive Player of the Year in the past, it's ah it's a stacked field, but she is an excellent defender. And players, you know, they run deep.
01:18:27
Speaker
Saru Mowbray and Chloe Dix. um Chloe Dix, in that game I mentioned earlier where the three starters were out, came out and scored 12 points, and she might be lucky to get on the court for most games. Yeah. Although she's been busy.
01:18:38
Speaker
She ah won Youth League MVP and Grand Final MVP last weekend. So um they have Knox women first up, who, of course, are no strangers to knocking off teams that have ah so had massive winning streaks.
01:18:56
Speaker
ah But Manly... their biggest strength is going to be the fact they're more than the sum of their parts. They know what they want to do They're led by the coach of the year. They're coming up against some very good teams. I think the women's lay the women's competition looks to trend towards teams that are, you know, a lot of leagues or divisions have had teams that have had big, big seasons like a Coburn, even Knox finished 19 and three before knocking off Geelong and then Manly Warringah. So ah yeah, yeah,
01:19:27
Speaker
Coburn and Knox I think will be especially tough and then Logan as you mentioned Mal they're just they're just flat out ballers um so look I I think Manley can put it together i don't know if they can make a run at the chip um
01:19:48
Speaker
But the scoring, I think they're going to keep it close every quarter is the thing. They'll run teams hard every quarter. And in that blitz scoring where you get points per quarter, maybe in a loss they pick up a couple of quarters and that might just get them over the top somewhere. you know um But we shall see.
01:20:05
Speaker
ah
Nostalgic Moments and Predictions
01:20:06
Speaker
As I always say, I'm not a Manly fan, but I'm a fan of this Manly team. That was great. Thank you. Very much looking forward to those two East teams competing on home soil, particularly, obviously, the Gunners. I really, really hope, though, that the crowd will turn out and really pack Targrinong.
01:20:24
Speaker
So that's going to be fun. That's the same stadium where I scored my first and only WNBL points. Yeah. Can we get a photo of you on the spot it happened when you're over at Nationals, please?
01:20:37
Speaker
Yes, that is. Lockie, you're going to be there at Nationals, aren't you? Oh, yes. Can you take commemorative plaque or something and we'll just drill it into there? I've got sort out a plaque.
01:20:49
Speaker
Yes, yeah, and and, you know, we'll we'll talk to the to the local council. We'll make it at a protected heritage site and, and you know, we'll we'll charge people a dollar entry to go see it.
01:21:00
Speaker
And I think it's not without the rent. that's how we'll pay That's how we'll pay for the Belco renovations is charging people to ah go to Tuggies and stand on Squin's spot.
01:21:12
Speaker
that's That's how we'll play for pay for a second NBL1 West person to come to Nationals year. Yeah. Love it. but next next year you're going to be an NBL One South person, though, so you won't have to worry about that. I'm not topping Hickey and Hayley there.
01:21:28
Speaker
Pluck. It's been a long time coming. Get the pluck in. Don't forget you're here forever. Don't forget her. Three-pointer.
01:21:39
Speaker
Also, I can't remember the last time I've hung out with people who where everyone understands The Simpsons reference. and certainlys You don't make friends with salad.
01:21:51
Speaker
Say again, Eric? I think that was the first thing I said to you on commentary was or you said Springfield Gorge and that was it because the guy went up for a dunk and his legs just stopped. All right, gents. Unfortunately, Jake and Chris had to jump off before we could finish this episode.
01:22:08
Speaker
ah so it's just down to you three. Lockie, Eric, Mal, what are your predictions? Who's taking home the NBL1 Nationals Championship this season? I'm going to go to Eric first.
01:22:21
Speaker
uh we'll we'll start with the main event again uh we'll start with the women's prediction um i've got the women's prediction in three words coburn coburn coburn um but i will elaborate because you know this is an audio platform um i think that they want for nothing their depth and unselfishness has been on show all year um so even if there is some personnel that's left on a jet plane.
01:22:44
Speaker
um I'll back the strength of their squad. Look at the grand final. Amelia Corrisenetti, 18 years old, two times NBL1 West champion already, came on the court, impacted immediately. So it just goes through their entire squad.
01:22:57
Speaker
And I have to reiterate, their average winning margin this year was 31 points. That's the average winning margin. um If this was an EA Sports game, the pop-up would jump up on the screen and says, you seem to have mastered this difficulty level. Would you like to go to world class maybe?
01:23:10
Speaker
But that said, and They have still been challenged. They've got through it. They've performed on the big stage. They're battle-hardened. They're right for it. I think it's going to be Coburn's um coburn's weekend ah for the men.
01:23:23
Speaker
um Look, allegedly... Still no proof of it. In a former life, I was involved in that pro wrestling racket. um There is a point here. Bear with me. Sometimes the iron is hot and you need to strike and the cards align in a way that is impossible to ignore.
01:23:39
Speaker
And good pro wrestling booking or writing is to have the hometown heroes go over and come away with a victory. if not just for me feeling romantic because Tay-Tay got engaged, this mob have won 10 out of their 11 games.
01:23:53
Speaker
They're high scoring. They share the ball as well. Do have a type, don't I? Plus, Glenmoe, pay now instantly. Glenmoe, that's Glen Morrison's new nickname. Sorry, Glenmoe, that's it. He's about to put on the overalls and control the paint on both ends of the court. I was happy with what you said there earlier on, Lockie, about his free throw shooting because for someone who four out of 10 times he puts up a shot,
01:24:16
Speaker
He goes to the foul line. He's got a lower than, um you know, desired free throw shooting percentages this year. So good to see that he sort of switched that around in the finals. But he's going to have to make the most of it because it'll be rough and tumble.
01:24:28
Speaker
But that said, I'm backing in the Gunners to go bang, bang, claim the crown in front of their adoring home territory subjects. Very good. All right. So we've got Coburn, Coburn, Coburn, like Gabbo, Gabbo, Gabbo to take out the women's competition.
01:24:44
Speaker
Yep. and I'm a big fan of anything Ruby Porter. so ah It was so good. i even bust out the Kaiser Chiefs on the call. I was just was so enamored by a game.
01:24:57
Speaker
but got the Nebraska jersey. We got the Kaiser Chiefs reference. ah See, that's the thing. Just every six years, I go to Canberra and see Ruby Porter with my Nebraska jersey, like under-20s nationals.
01:25:10
Speaker
No, she was amazing. And it looks like she's going to stick around as well. um She's really part of the Cougar family there. So, no, she was amazing all year. Coburn Cougars and the Canberra Gunners others is the tip from Eric.
01:25:23
Speaker
We're going to pass the ball to you, Mel. What have you got? Who are you predicting? Look, we can't spell national championship without North. um So, and yes, I have done the maths.
01:25:36
Speaker
I've got to get Susie Dent on that one.
01:25:41
Speaker
Look, I really like Logan. um I think they have a lot of pieces. If I was to, you know, Turn an eye to a different team. I could definitely term but be turned towards Coburn.
01:25:54
Speaker
um But I think Logan's got a lot of depth. um They've had to fight the entire way. They've had some real challenges. um They've only lost one game, and that was the first game of the season.
01:26:05
Speaker
like excuse me, two games, and they were both against Spartans um in the regular season. They, you know, played through their semifinal hard. Everything's, you know, sort of lined up for them to, you know, be ready for this kind of challenge.
01:26:20
Speaker
And, of course, you've Michaela Kan at the helm, who's been trying to get to a national championship um since these years. Since they've, you know, came into being. So she's at the helm.
01:26:32
Speaker
and I've already spoken to her about the advice for the younger players. It's simple stuff, you know, enjoy the time, show up, you know, be there and and just have a great time with it.
01:26:42
Speaker
Yeah. So look, give me Logan, but I could definitely be swayed Coburn if I if yeah know i was to look outside of the north. Spartans,
01:26:54
Speaker
um look, give me Spartans or Illawarra to win this thing. Since they've got the the first day matchup, as we know, whoever team yeah is going to win through. So that gives me a but good chance of um going through. Obviously,
01:27:13
Speaker
Gunners look good, um but I really like the Spartans. They've had to hustle again. um It's been a bit of a flip side. they've They've found themselves in a difficult position. They've had NBL1 talent come and then go, and then the you ah the the local guys have had to get it done, and they've looked absolutely fantastic doing it. So give me Give me those yeah know give give me my hometown picks or give me a give me an Illawarra or a Coburn.
01:27:44
Speaker
Alright,
Upcoming Nationals Schedule and Excitement
01:27:45
Speaker
very good. Very good. Staying strong with the North. I like it. Now, Lockie... What do you got for us? are you picking Are you going to follow suit of Mal and support the East in the same way that Mal's supporting the North? Or are you going to stray elsewhere?
01:28:02
Speaker
i am just going I am going to pick a player who played for a dark red team close to my heart, but it's not going to be the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. It is going to be former Stanford player Agnes Emanopu and the Knox Raiders in the women.
01:28:19
Speaker
And it's not just Agnes Emendopu. It's Alicia Froehling. It's Christy Wallace. And they will be emboldened by having already defeated one undefeated team this season.
01:28:31
Speaker
And they are going to make it two. Because they are going to get over Coburn in the championship game on the women's side. Even if Eric is telling me right now that it's not going to happen.
01:28:45
Speaker
Look, I'm torn. I'm torn. I'm like lying naked on the floor like Natalie Imbrulia right now because I love Coburn players, but I can still be a little bit salty about last Saturday. So, you know, that's a pretty win-win situation, both those teams in the grand final, I think.
01:29:01
Speaker
And then on the men's side, I've said it. Eric said it. Glenn Morrison, Canberra Gunners. Hopefully he doesn't accidentally nut shot someone again like he did in 2022.
01:29:13
Speaker
Yeah, maybe we should ah send them a quick message. Hey, good luck for the weekend. Try not to nutshot someone. Keep it above the belt, Glenmoe.
01:29:23
Speaker
Glenmoe. Do you think that's going to stick, Squin, or do you think Brindabella Beacon is just ah too embedded in the culture? Yeah, I think Brindabella Beacon is too embedded, especially because I think it's his Instagram handle and his Instagram profile picture.
01:29:39
Speaker
yeah and the the profile picture someone has superimposed his face on a beacon so yeah um but i mean he's taller than everyone else so i mean everyone maybe everyone else should just grow taller and they won't get a nut shot i don't know you sound like a high school bully now grow taller and get nut shot NBL1 Nationals tips off this Friday, the 29th of August.
01:30:08
Speaker
The first game will be at 11.30am Australian Eastern Standard Time between the Logan Thunder and the Waverly Falcons, representing North and South respectively.
01:30:18
Speaker
Just half an hour later at 12pm, the Knox Raiders will take on the Manly Warringah Seagulls in the women's competition. And then at 1.30 we've got the Coburn Cougars and the Woodville Warriors.
01:30:30
Speaker
At 2 o'clock we've got Canberra Gunners and Sandringham Sabres in the men. Geraldton Buccaneers, West Adelaide Bearcats at 3.30 in the men. And then Closing off day one, we have the Illawarra Hawks and the Southern District Spartans at 4pm.
01:30:48
Speaker
And then obviously day two, yet to be decided, ah depending on the Blitz scoring system, who wins the game and who wins the quarter, etc. ah Yeah, it's going to be a lot a lot a lot of fun.
01:31:01
Speaker
I imagine Eric, Mal, you'll be tuning in from home for bits and pieces. I'll be tuning in from sunny Melbourne and on Friday I will be, cheap plug, check checking out the W Club Melbourne, which is Australia's first and only as I'm aware of dedicated women's sports bar. say um That is the only one and a Parmy.
01:31:25
Speaker
only one but it not the first. Not the first. Okay, my apologies. It the ladies' league in Sydney briefly, but it is not only. I sit and stand corrected. You're absolutely right. The lovely team, they did tell me about it. So I'll be there with my Parmy and enjoying it there, watching and listening to my great mates call.
01:31:44
Speaker
And I think you and Lockie will also be calling too, Squinty. Yeah, was waiting for that one. Waiting for that one. Love it. This guy. Who invited this guy? that'd be That'd be you, Squin. ah Yeah, I'll definitely – I won't be enjoying a palmy, but that's definitely had to the correct way to pronounce it. I'll actually be at Hooper's Heaven um commentating and live streaming this weekend the Brisbane's best shooter.
01:32:09
Speaker
So we'll see. ah It could be Milo Soa again, back-to-back. Wait, how can you commentate if you're going to compete? Yeah, I thought Big was taking that out. Well, look, if people can captain coach, you know, and play a coach, then why can't I do both? I mean, you know, win and educate at the same time on exactly how I'm beating people. That's nice and simple. There we ah But yeah, thank you guys for joining and sticking around. It's been quite a good episode.
01:32:43
Speaker
ah Be keen to see if our predictions come to fruition. But otherwise, Lockie, what do we say to end every episode? Don't sleep on the east.