Some serious questions need to be asked in either Bendigo or Geelong this offseason for whichever team falters this weekend. Both clubs have made a ridiculous investment in their rosters and anything short of a championship would be a monumental failure for either club. It's going to be for one of them this weekend.

Geelong have always spent big on their men’s roster but this years ladies roster would have to be far and away the most expensive in the league with 3 Opals and a WNBA draft pick in Ezi Magbegor. Similarly Bendigo have added talent during the season to also have a wnbl caliber starting 5.

David Herbert or Megan Moody will have some serious questions to answer after this weekend, or next weekend should one of them not win it all.

Knox women spent big on their roster, that didn't pay off either.

Watch all the NBL1 and QBL finals live online:

NBL1 Live and Replays

QBL Live and Replays

two words Frank Ston - they are the team to beat, they are red hot at the right time. Big home crowd advantage last week, they must have opened up the doors for free tickets.

Hobart would have spent as much as anyone on their women's team and if you take the two games off that they won with George they would have to be the biggest disappointment.

Any one of the prelim finals teams can win on their night - that's what makes these games so interesting!

Frankston Blues on the cusp of something special in NBL1

@The TrUth (sounds more like that old tabloid paper than anything close to facts),

Just for your information, the Supercats women's team isn’t flush with ridiculous investment, most of the girls just wanted to play under a good coach with international experience and some will soon move onto college so this has been a stepping stone season for them and they have been happy to pay for very little in financial rewards.

When you say Geelong has always spent big on their roster and make statements like 'but this year’s ladies roster would have to be far and away the most expensive in the league’ you are only expressing an opinion I hope, because that is not factual.

The only thing you got right is that both Bendigo and Geelong have added significant talent to their squads. I wouldn’t know what Bendigo has paid for their roster, so I am not going to comment on their potential spend, I do however challenge your knowledge on the subject of financial payments because I am willing to bet you have no clue!

As for the rest of your post about the fact that both teams play in a preliminary final and one will not make it to the final, so that exposes one program to serious questions, what the hell are you on mate?

Bendigo lost a semi-final game and now have to play the team that went through by winning, that’s the draw and that’s how it works, of course one team will lose and one will win - both teams have performed to their level this season, calling it a monumental failure if one gets knocked out this weekend proves nothing, the fact is that in every season, only one team can win it all regardless...

.....happy to play.....

Does Frankston have any players that came through juniors, or are they trying to buy a flag?

A pathway with a glass ceiling. Spend more time developing your juniors, and your senior program is more sustainable.

^Anon, I don't think it is as easy as that.

Judging an Association based on how many juniors end up in their NBL1 equivalent program won't give you an accurate sample of players who move elsewhere, go to US college systems, play over and above the NBL1 level or decide to change sports etc...

It probably suggests a program is more successful in retaining their talent according to specific circumstances and the culture of that particular Association than how successful they are based on local talent.

A very ambiguous method of comparison, not saying it isn't worth analysing, just saying it may be very subjective.

You all understand this is a professional league yeah? Players are going to get paid.

Its a good discussion Bear. Promoting juniors into your senior program helps sustainability, but may affect your ability to play finals. Buying players in might get you a Championship, but they have a habit of chasing $$$ and will go somewhere else for more cash, creating a less sustainable program. There's an argument both ways, depending I guess on the clubs culture.

@Pud93, I think it is a much needed discussion point, not so much between us punters but the Associations and power brokers, there needs to be support at both ends for the game and of course each Association is slightly different so one culture will be unsuitable to another.

I am looking forward to see how the merger changes the pathways and structure, culture and top end talent down in Geelong, it is a major undertaking, hopefully done correctly with the support of the State basketball leagues and local agencies...

So back on track now everyone has had a whine lol , who do you think will be the two teams in both men and women that will make the final, and why

Congratulations to the Geelong Supercats and Kilsyth Cobras, the grand final of the first NBL1 season is going to be a cracker, may the best team win, as long as they are from Geelong LOL.....

Yes, ^it was me.........