Surely Gorman and Mortensen are both restricted for Cockburn?

Pirini has signed over east, I believe.

Is it unusually quiet on here for nbl1 west compared to normal years?

Not since Isaac disabled anonymous posting.

Ripping into Lako and TT generated a lot of traffic.

There's a pre-season game this Friday 14th 7:30pm at Morley Rec Centre.
Eagles vs Redbacks.
Free

Only two weeks to go until the season kicks off! Do we have any early predictions for the men's competition so far? It seems like a few import players are still yet to be confirmed, which could definitely shake things up. Curious to hear what everyone's thinking—who’s looking strong, and which teams might surprise us this year?

Hoping to get this cranking especially as the season is fast approaching

Anyone got any info about the teams they can share?

Gees this has coincidentally really dropped off since the coach accused of multiple accounts and pot shotting everyone else in the league isn't involved anymore.

Mitch Clarke just signed with the Senators. Clarke and Pepper with be a tough back court duo.

Anyone know what happened to Jonathan Wade? Last season he signed a 2 year deal with the Wolves but so fare there has been no mention of him.

TT you mean? haha

Classic TT chat back

The full narcissistic and nepotistic activity is back, baby!

Don't forget how the threads of the past used to be full of weird Willetton in-jokes no one else understood.

Miss me? (Not TT)
I am still here

Is Tuss back with Rocco?

anyone know if Sowah signed anywhere yet?

The Cougar men look tough- Raheem Williams will be a menace in the paint

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk has signed with the Wolves?

Having previously signed with the Hawkes Bay Hawks?

Yes Wani has signed with Hawkes Bay in NZNBL.

TT isn't Raheem Williams a 5'11" guard?

No, he was one of their key big men, but he's no longer with the team. They've released him already, and he's back in the States now. WOW that was fast!

Anyone got any intel into how the mens teams are looking?

Here's a video with some predictions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMIEePeq_tY

Would appear the gap between the better organized clubs and participation clubs will be huge. Some serious retooling been done by a few clubs

https://nbl1.com.au/news/how-mens-nbl1-west-is-shaping-up

How Men's NBL1 West is shaping up

There's top level NBL talent on board from the Perth Wildcats and beyond, there's some high quality imports and a strong group of returning players setting the stage for a mouth watering 2025 Men's NBL1 West season.


Fresh off being part of the 2024/25 NBL season, Emmett Naar, Isaac White, Elijah Pepper and Todd Withers have signed up for the 2025 NBL1 West season.


Former NBL Grand Final MVP Terrico White has also joined the Eastern Suns with Verle Williams Jr, Akeem Springs, Kortland Martin, Matthew Lang, Max Rice, Trey Crawford, Isaiah Lewis, Sam Freeman, Tyreese Davis, Taeshon Cherry, Calvin Whipple, Jamal Poplar, Jonah Underwood, Davin Miller and Jaden Stanley-Williams among the other new arrivals.


Mitch Clarke, Lochlan Cummings, Connor Mincherton, Jarrad Anastasio, Rowan Mackenzie, Corey Shervill and Hamish Warden are all familiar faces coming back to the league after being away whether through injury or playing elsewhere.


Ioannis Dimakopoulos, Damon Ballantyne, Shaun Stewart, Marshall Nelson, Lewis Thomas, Kyle Armour, Tevin Jackson, Seva Chan and Cooper Lowe also remain in the league but will be at new clubs in 2025.


The Mandurah Magic made history last year with a remarkable run not only to make a Grand Final for the first time, but to the win the club's first ever championship under the guidance of coach Mark Utley.


Keeping that group together was always going to be a challenge for the Magic and superstar import pair Joel Murray and Michael Durr won't be back, and nor will be Jarrod Molnar.


However, the majority of the rest of that championship group will be back including Julian Pesava, captain Chad Miegel, Lachlan Bertram and Jermaine Malie.


There are some other signings that coach Utley will be hoping come off just as well as some of those speculative picks in 2024 did including bringing across Victorian Nick Woodall, bringing down Cooper Lowe who he coached at the Eastern Suns, and welcoming Hamish Warden on his return to WA.


There are big shoes to fill with the imports from last season, but Mandurah have brought in Jahcoree Ealy and Sam Freeman for their championship defence.


The Willetton Tigers were so close to a championship breakthrough last season having beat Rockingham and Geraldton on the way to the Grand Final, and then being on top until the Magic produced a huge fightback to snatch the trophy from them.


The Tigers have had to sit without all off-season but there is every reason to suggest that coach Adam Nener again has a team at his disposal that will be right in contention.


Veteran trio Michael Vigor, Andrew Black and Damien Scott are once again on deck while 310-game veteran Kyle Armour makes his return to Willetton to join his former teammates once more.


Willetton has lost important players from last year's Grand Final run including Michael Dupree, Marshall Nelson and Deng Gak, but the new signings look impressive including import pair Tyreese Davis and Taeshon Cherry.


The Joondalup Wolves heartbreakingly missed a second straight Grand Final appearance by losing a nail-biting preliminary final at home to the Mandurah Magic last season, but there's every reason to expect the Wolfpack to contend again in 2025.


After a spirited run into the 2023 Grand Final, the Wolves finished second last season with a 16-6 record before beating the Willetton Tigers in the qualifying final but then losing at home in that preliminary final to Mandurah.


A lot of that core group under coach David Morrell is back again in 2025 including CJ Turnage, Caleb Davis, Ethan Elliott, Jordan Wellsteed and Gabe Chadinha.


The Wolves will also be boosted with the addition of the versatile Damon Ballantyne who had a breakout 2024 season with the Goldfields Giants along with new import Joey Baker along with Adili Kuerben.


It would have been a long summer for the Geraldton Buccaneers after they had a dominant regular season in 2024 finishing with a 20-2 record to be four games clear in top spot before being stunned at home in the preliminary final by the Willetton Tigers.


The majority of that core group including Liam Hunt, Mat Wundenberg, Aaron Ralph, Nik DeSantis, Johny Narkle and Joshua Keyes.


Geraldton has also added Verle Williams Jr who has racked up plenty of experience since first coming to Australia in rival NBL1 conferences with Akeem Springs on board as the second import.


The Goldfields Giants reached the semi finals last season and now with Lennon Smartt appointed the permanent head coach, they will be looking to build on that with the added excitement of their new home court being available to start 2025.


While Goldfields has lost some experience and quality through Mayo Malek, Randy Bell, Kon Anguik and Damon Ballantyne, the additions of former Mandurah and Geraldton point guard Shaun Stewart, NBL development player at Melbourne United Joshua Duach and returning college star Michael Jok are impressive.


It's been a rocky road for the Rockingham Flames since winning the NBL1 West and National Championship in 2022 with a top place finish in 2023 but just falling short of the Grand Final and also losing in the decider at the National Finals.


Then in 2024, the Flames started on fire winning their first five games, but then lost nine of the next 14 in the absence of Devondrick Walker before winning the last three matches which saw them finish at 13-9 and qualify for finals from seventh position.


The Flames then took care of the East Perth Eagles in the elimination final but then were blown away by former championship star Marshall Nelson and the Willetton Tigers in the semi finals.


Ryan Petrik remains coach after another WNBL finals campaign with the Perth Lynx but there has been significant player turnover coming into the 2025 season.


There will be no Walker, Jeremy Combs, Jono Janssen or Gorjok Gak, but the signings are impressive headed up by NBL guards Emmett Naar and Isaac White fresh off a season together at the Brisbane Bullets on the back of leading the Mackay Meteors to an NBL1 North championship.


Tevin Jackson has also made the move from the Perth Redbacks to join Rockingham while the Flames have brought in new import Jervon Pressley to a group still featuring captain Justin Beard, former captain Ryan Godfrey, Travis Durnin and the returning Callum Beard.


The East Perth Eagles broke through for their first finals appearance last year since winning the championship in 2014 and now coach Carl Filpo will look to take them up another level again in 2025.


While they won't have the services of NBL pair Sunday Dech and David Okwera and with Sebit Reath and Lukas Milner having departed, the additions look exciting for the Eagles and are all on deck ready for the start of the season.


East Perth has a readymade recruit with the return of Jarrad Anastasio from a knee injury while size won't be an issue with the recruitment also of 7'2 giant Ioannis Dimakopoulos.


The Eagles have signed import pair Max Rice and Matthew Lang as well, have brought in Chier Maker, and with the retention of Taylor Young, Shareef Watson, Lee Roberts and Nic Filpo, and it's an imposing looking East Perth group.


The Warwick Senators looked capable of big things at times in 2024 led by Todd Withers and Michael Harris, but in the end they were likely missing that one final piece. That would have been Zac Gattorna, who never ended up playing due to a back injury.


While Harris won't be back in coach Andrew Cooper's second season in 2025, Withers will return fresh off being an injury replacement import at the Perth Wildcats in NBL25.


His 'Cats teammate Elijah Pepper will join him as a hot shooting threat at the Senators while multiple championship winning point guard Mitch Clarke returns to the NBL1 West, and not to the Perry Lakes Hawks but to the Senators.


Championship captain Cody Ellis is back for another season at Warwick along with proven commodities Jay Thwaites, George Pearl, Tyler Shand and Brody England with Cooper Creek, the son of Giants legend Wayne, joining the Senators on his return from college.


The Perry Lakes Hawks narrowly missed the finals in 2024 with a 9-13 record to be in ninth position in the first season of coach Damian Barr.


The Hawks aren't used to not being part of the post-season action so will be looking to change that in 2025 with a changeover in their two imports.


Replacing Dequan Abrom and Jaylen Key are Jaden Stanley-Williams and Davin Miller while they have recruited 284-game veteran Seva Chan from Cockburn Cougars where Barr was previously his assistant coach.


The Lakeside Lightning at times in 2024 looked capable of beating anybody including scoring wins over finals bound teams Goldfields, Mandurah, Rockingham, Joondalup and Warwick, but the consistency wasn’t there and they finished 10th at 8-14.


Coach Mike Malat will now attempt to bridge that gap between their best and worst in 2025 and bringing back Lakeside products Rowan Mackenzie and Corey Shervill is certainly going to help that cause.


New faces for the Lightning also include AJ Wilson, Isaiah Lewis, Finley Payne, Michael Chigumbu and Trey Crawford while Josh Davey, Ben Lee, Michael Garbellini and Tom Parkinson are all back on board to provide that stability for the Lightning.


The biggest moves all off-season have been made at the Kalamunda Eastern Suns with coach Aaron Trahair looking to bring success to the hills for the first time.


The Suns did start to come together in the back end of last season winning six of the last 12 games having lost nine of the first 10 even though they did still miss out on the finals at 7-15.


There have been plenty of changes coming into 2025 headed up by the recruitment of former Perth Wildcats star and 2019 NBL Grand Final MVP Terrico White in one of the biggest ever NBL1 West signings.


It doesn't stop there for the Eastern Suns with Marshall Nelson and Travis Fee both making the move from Willetton's Grand Final team last season while Lewis Thomas gives them size and experience up front as does Joel Vaiangina.


Denzel Jackson also joins from the Perth Redbacks while Seb Salinas and Brendan Dinardo are among the players committed to return to help keep the ship running smoothly.


The South West Slammers had their moments in the 2024 season with six victories including beating both Grand Finalists, Willetton and Mandurah, in a three-game winning run late in the piece.


Buay Tuach was the star of that team averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and while he won't be returning in 2025, there are some impressive additions the Slammers have made.


They have added import pair Calvin Whipple and Jamal Poplar that they will be looking for big things from while looking for continued strong contributions from Manny Wugol, Pharell Keats, Devan Craig, Jack Flynn and Cory Richardson.


The Cockburn Cougars are the team with the greatest turnover coming into 2025 with the loss of legendary captain Gavin Field, vice-captain Seva Chan and experienced guard Kyle Armour along with former NBL championship winner Rhys Vague.


Second-year coach Mark Clayden will now get to put his full stamp on the Cougars with a group that he's fully put together including the additions of new import Kortland Martin.


The departure of the experienced brigade will provide the chance for Charlie Dimmock, Josh Hunt, Austin Crowe-St Jack, Riley Eves, Riley Bensemann and Nathan Pond to all take on greater responsibility.


Nothing went right for the Perth Redbacks last season culminating in just five wins and a bottom place finish, but injuries along the way to key players Joe Cook-Green, Tevin Jackson, Jacob Formosa and Cousteau Kyle didn't help the cause.


Coach Charles Nix remains at the helm for the 2025 season charged with putting the Redbacks back in the finals mix and there has been plenty of turnover including the departures of Tevin and Denzel Jackson, Ioannis Dimakopoulos, Miles Gibson and Maris Colton.


Retaining the services of Cook-Green is a massive step for the Redbacks, though, while they have added new import Jonah Underwood while strengthening the back court with Lochlan Cummings coming back to the NBL1 West and Connor Mincherton back after a year off playing.

Thanks for the review Andrew.

I'm making a documentary on the East Perth Eagles 2025 season.

You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/vkkDilZun2g?si=D3S2FZADnzwhTVY3

It's a Temu Last Chance U/Drive to survive.

Not being paid for this.

Great first round of games last night! The Rocko NBL boys looked tough — but will they even be around come finals? Jules seemed like the only one showing heart for Magic, while Willo looked solid. Lakeside really struggled without Rowan. Is his injury serious? He tweaked it early, around the 3-4 minute mark, and you could see him grimace — not sure why he went back out there. That felt like a poor decision. Hopefully he's not done for the season. And how about Joondalup dropping one to the Redbacks? Didn’t see that coming!

Anneli Maley easing herself into the season with 29 points, 30 rebounds, 10 assists.

Lakeside really struggled without Rowan. Is his injury serious?

Anneli Maley easing herself into the season with 29 points, 30 rebounds, 10 assists.

MEN'S POWER RANKINGS - After Round 1

1. ROCKINGHAM FLAMES
The additions of NBL pair Emmett Naar and Isaac White, along with impressive big man Jervon Pressley, elevate the Flames to the #1 ranking. Then add stalwarts Ryan Godfrey and the Beard brothers, plus ex-Redbacks veteran Tevin Jackson, and you have a well balanced team capable of winning their 2nd-ever Championship. The probable season loss of Travis Durnin is a setback, but this didn't show in their easy away win over the Eagles, where they led by as many as 30 points, and didn't yet have Pressley in the line-up.

2. WARWICK SENATORS
Predictable start to the season with a thumping of the Lightning. Pepper is an upgrade on Harris while the addition of Clarke and Creek gives them depth. Following his 50-point haul against Lakeside, Pepper must be favourite to be the league's leading scorer this year. If there are any shortcomings with this team, it's the lack of an inside presence - instead they have a bunch of outside-shooting forwards. And this showed on the weekend when they were out-rebounded by the Lightning, despite winning by 38.

3. JOONDALUP WOLVES
Would have been ranked higher if they didn't lose to the Redbacks on opening night. We'll put that down as round one blues, and they quickly bounced back the next night with a close win over fellow contenders, the Buccaneers. Damon Ballantyne could be the pick-up of the year and would be starting on any other team in the league. On a negative, there are question marks over import Joey Baker who could only manage 16 points from his first 2 games.

4. GERALDTON BUCCANEERS
A tough road-trip to start the season, but they would be happy with the 1-1 split against two teams with plenty of firepower. Import Akeem Springs looks impressive, and his 53 points over the course of the weekend would have brought smiles to the Buccs' recruiters. Almost everyone else returns to a team that went 20-2 last year, including Josh Keys and Johnny Narkle, plus they have also added veteran journeyman Verle Williams. Won't be surprised if they move higher up the rankings.

5. GOLDFIELDS GIANTS
The Giants only finished percentage outside of the top-4 last year, eventually being knocked out in the playoffs by the Magic. To build on that, their off-season recruiting has been as good as any team, particularly with the addition of championship-winning import Shaun Stewart, and the return of 2024 All-Star De-Sean Parsons. Then add dynamic swingmen Michael Jok and Josh Duach, along with former Slammers big man Leigh Rickwood-Pitt, and you have a team with a starting-5 as good as any in the league. And their firepower was on full show on the weekend in their 40-point demolition of the Cougars, with Stewart, Parsons, Jok and Duach combining for 93 points.

6. WILLETTON TIGERS
Despite making a Grand Final last year, the Tigers are an ageing team. They finished the regular season in 3rd in 2024 but I expect them to drop another 2-3 places. The experienced Michael Vigor and Damien Scott are back, and they have a solid core of locals, particularly Tom Gerovich and Roosevelt Williams. In addition, imports Davis and Cherry look good, and veteran Kyle Armour returns. But effectively those latter three just replace Marshall Nelson, Michael Dupree and Deng Gak, so whether that is an upgrade is debatable. They beat the Magic by 14 in the Grand Final rematch last week, but Mandurah are shadow of 2024, so that was not a great form guide for Willeton.

7. KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS
The Suns have brought in 2 big names in former Perth Wildcat Terico White, and perennial top-10 player Marshall Nelson. And topped that off with veteran big men Lewis Thomas and Joel Vaiangina. You then add season veterans Rob Huntington, Seb Salinas, Brendan Dinardo and Reece Maxwell, and they have the makings of a top-8 team. But like the Tigers, this is another ageing team. And we saw a glimpse of this with their last quarter fade out against the Buccs on Sunday. Also doesn't help that White seems a shadow of his former self. I think they will win enough games to sneak into the top-8, but will exit the playoffs quickly.

8. MANDURAH MAGIC
Don't expect the same fairytale story with the 2025 Magic as we saw last year. After losing the 2024 league MVP, along with one of the top-3 centres in the league, you already start towards the back of the pack. The new imports look okay, as does solid recruit Hamish Warden, but if you are relying on injury-prone veteran Julian Pesava to win you games, you are in for long season. If they can get good returns from their imports, they could finish middle-of-the-standings. But if they don't, they will miss the playoffs altogether, which would be a big fall from grace.

9. PERTH REDBACKS
The Redbacks finished last in 2024, and have lost more players in the offseason than they have gained. So why have I picked them to finish higher up the ladder?? Well their 2024 team was a lot better on paper that what the win/loss record showed. And I don't expect that to happen 2 years in a row. And they showed their potential with an upset win over the Wolves on Friday night. Yes, they will live and die off the shooting of Joe Cook-Green and Lochy Cummings, but if both of them stay healthy, they will win 8-9 games. But that is the key word - healthy. Cook-Green missed half a season last year, and that hurt them big time. But they have two scorers this time.

10. PERRY LAKES HAWKS
Not many changes for the Hawks in the offseason. Veteran Seva Chan joins Perry Lakes while their two 2024 imports are replaced by two new imports in Jaden Stanley-Williams and Davin Miller. That said, Chan and Miller played a combined 29 minutes in their 1-point win over Lakeside (also an underwhelming team) - not a good sign. They finished with 9 wins in 2024 and missed the playoffs by 2 games. And I expect a similar result in 2025. One thing I will give the Hawks credit for, and that is the depth of their 2nd-string players, which is probably the best and deepest in the league. Hence why they have been so successful in D-league over the past few years.

11. LAKESIDE LIGHTNING
Rowan Mackenzie and Corey Shervill return to Lakeside, and picking up good Aussie talent cannot be underestimated in this league. However a major injury to Mackenzie in round one doesn't bode well for the Lightning, and would have contributed to their 0-2 start to the season. Shervill and reliable power forward Josh Davey were their two best players in the losses, which doesn't say much for new imports AJ Wilson and Isaiah Lewis who could only average a combined 27ppg over the weekend. Not a good start for Lakeside, and the longer that Mackenzie is out, the less chance they have of finishing in the top-8.

12. EAST PERTH EAGLES
Sunday Dech, David Okwera, Sebit Reath and Lukas Milner are big losses for an Eagles team that finished 2024 in 6th with a 13-9 record. New imports Matthew Lang and Max Rice have good resumes, but sometimes that doesn't equate to good numbers in our strong Australian leagues. Getting spanked by an understrength Flames wasn't a good start. Nor was getting a combined 4 points out of your two centres, Lee Roberts and Ioannis Dimakopoulos. And without trying to sound too critical, if you are starting Nic Filpo then you are probably not a top-8 team.

13. COCKBURN COUGARS
The Cougars started 2024 in a not-so-good way, sending an import home early in the season. And 2025 has not started off much better. Firstly they saw the departure of Gavin Field, Seva Chan, Kyle Armour and Rhys Vague, then they sent an import home before the season had even started, and then topped that off by being belted by the Giants by 40 on Kalgoorlie's impressive new show court. In the offseason they did counter with bringing in former Big-V scoring machine Kortland Martin, but the 5-9" Martin is going to struggle with the big NBL1 West guards, and we saw this against the talented Giants backcourt on Saturday night. Another long season for the Cougars.

14. SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS
Losing Buay Tuach is not a great result for the Slammers. If you were to pick any team that relied on one player more than any other during the 2024 season, it was the Slammers. He has big shoes to fill, and if round one is any indication, his replacement - Calvin Whipple - could be the first import on the chopping block. The other Slammers import, Jamal Poplar, looks solid, but he will only help them win a game or two. The rest of the team is basically the equivalent of a good D-league team.

Thanks John. Anyone know if Rowan's injury is as serious as thought? Also do we know why the Cougars sent their import home after playing 1 preseason game?

Just heard from a Lakeside coach Rowan has a Tear 3 Hammy - not sure if they need surgery yet. Sounds like he will miss most of the season- Big blow for Laskeside and Rowan!

Pepper with his 2nd casual 50 piece in a row, impressive

101 points in 2 games by Pepper, very lazy

Aza's Rankings:

Warwick
Gero
Rocko
Wolfpack
Giants
Willo
Suns
Magic
Redbacks
Eagles
Hawks
Lakeside
Cockburn
Bunbury

Wheres John Bagley when we need him..??

It's a short week, and with only 6 games.
So it's a scaled down version of the Rankings........

MEN'S POWER RANKINGS - After Round 2

1. ROCKINGHAM FLAMES (Last week: 1)
Some may say that the Senators deserve the #1 ranking, but the Flames are still the best team in my opinion. Last week they easily overcame the Cougars before coming up against a red-hot Warwick. But context is important - they were missing their best player (Naar) and their second import (a rumoured stud), while the Senators couldn't miss. To stay #1, they must beat the Tigers tomorrow night.

2. WARWICK SENATORS (Last week: 2)
We haven't seen two 50-point games to start a season since the Snoopy Graham days of the early SBL, but Elijah Pepper showed why he was a key target for the Perth Wildcats 12 months ago. The Senators have a tough match-up with the Wolves this week, and they are a team with defenders who can cool him down. Wolves will get up but Pepper will go for 30.

3. GERALDTON BUCCANEERS (Last week: 4)
Thumped a Redbacks team by 38 behind another solid performance from Akeem Springs. He is currently a top-10 player in this league and a very difficult match-up for most teams. Have a bye this week before going on the road again on the Anzac Day long weekend.

4. JOONDALUP WOLVES (Last week: 3)
Didn't have it easy against the Cougars, but Baker is starting to show some form. The Senators will be tougher and will test their top-2 credentials. If they can restrict Pepper, they will get the win and possibly a higher ranking spot.

5. GOLDFIELDS GIANTS (Last week: 5)
Led by as much as 25 points halfway through the last quarter versus the Slammers, before easing up. They have 4 players averaging 20ppg or more, which will be giving nightmares to some coaches. Have a bye this week, and then they head off on their first roadtrip the following weekend. Still missing Rickwood-Pitt and Jerome Reid.

6. WILLETTON TIGERS (Last week: 6)
Overcame a frustrating Suns line-up who were missing Marshall Nelson. Undefeated so far but have to get some big scalps if they are to be taken seriously. Have the Flames this week, and this could tell us where Willetton actually sit in these rankings.

7. KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS (Last week: 7)
Terrico White is finally starting to show a pulse, and they would have nabbed two wins last weekend if it wasn't for the fact that Marshall Nelson didn't suit up in the loss to the Tigers. The jury is still out on them, and they need to beat the Eagles tomorrow night to show us their credibility.

8. MANDURAH MAGIC (Last week: 8)
A couple of wins has righted the ship for the Magic, but they were against lowly teams. Luckily for them, that theme continues tomorrow night against the Cougars, and the following week against the Slammers. Expect them to be 4-1 by then, but those 4 wins will be against teams all outside of the top-8.

9. PERTH REDBACKS (Last week: 9)
10. PERRY LAKES HAWKS (Last week: 10)
11. LAKESIDE LIGHTNING (Last week: 11)
12. EAST PERTH EAGLES (Last week: 12)
I have grouped these teams together as they are all similarly as bad as each other. It is very tough to separate them. We will know a lot more after this week.

13. SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS (Last week: 14)
I have moved the Slammers up one notch simply due to one player - Jamal Poplar. Averaging 24 and 10, he is one of the best bigs in the league, tough to contain, and singlehandingly keeping them in games. A shame he doesn't have another import alongside him.

14. COCKBURN COUGARS (Last week: 13)
The Cougars are showing grit, but they just don't have the cattle to win games. And having the worst defence in the league is not helping.

Pepper avg 49.7pts. DPOY should go to whoever can hold him under 25 at this point.

Record crowd of 2064 people at the Wolves vs Senators game last night.

Oh my, Flames with another import, surely theyre favourites?

Would love to hear everyone thoughts regarding the progress of teams

Quick thoughts on the State of the men's

Tier 1: Warwick, Rockingham, Geraldton

Both Warwick and Rockingham are stacked. You would think huge spends on both teams with high paid additions and some very serviceable local rotation players. Isaac White and Elijah Pepper could be a nice battle for MVP depending on NBL duties. Geraldton is like the Geelong Cats of the NBL1 West. They will always be counted on until proven otherwise. Johnny Narkle is a star of the league and will want to prove the Wildcats wrong for overlooking him again and again.

Tier 2: Joondalup, Goldfields, Mandurah, Willetton

Joondalup may sneak up into tier 1, but haven’t shown it yet. Adding Ballantyne from Kalgoorlie on paper is one of the biggest local moves, but there may be some teething problems integrating him to full effect. Goldfields are very top heavy and can hang with anyone when they are firing, but they are one injury away from not having the cattle. Mandurah are the champs and are fighting hard losing last year’s MVP and Willo should have the roster to be competitive.

Tier 3: Hawks, Perth, Suns, Lakeside, East Perth

Perry Lakes are in Year 2 of the post-Purser/Parsons era and look stuck in the malaise, really banking of the Phillips brothers making a jump. Perth can hang with many teams, but have proven to be very inconsistent over the past few years. Suns will be around where they always are, bottom end of the eight or missing the playoffs. Let’s all appreciate Sebba whilst he’s still running around. Lakeside and East Perth will pop up in some top 10 plays of the week but not much else.

Tier 4: Cockburn, Slammers

Both are not going to be overly competitive this year.

Yeh my main thought is the Lightning need to fire Mike Malat! Enough please, they need move on and have an overhaul of the whole organisation- absolute train wreck, from WABL issues through to NBL1. My other thought is, Warwick look like the real deal!

TT,

Mandurah have lost an incredible import from last year and so far, their only wins have been to the bottom teams

East Perth have Maker plus 5 imports plus a 7 foot plus Anastasio if he returns - The team has potential

TT, you're definitely not alone in your feelings about Lakeside. I've been around the club for 10 years, and it's only gotten worse—especially now with my girls in WABL, seeing all the behind-the-scenes politics and nepotism firsthand especially with the boys teams now and their coaches! Will be taking my girls to Cougars next season, they seem to be doing a lot better job. Such a shame as they started off so well years ago!

How's my form,

East Perth take the W in Geraldton on what would have been tasty odds, Slammers take Joondalup to OT, second night of a back to back down in Bunbury but still and Cockburn blow a 4th quarter lead to barely lose up in the Hills.

Round 6 feels:
Up and about: Willetton, Mandurah, East Perth
Business handled: Rockingham, Warwick
Nervous: Goldfields, Joondalup
Annoyed: Geraldton
Battling: Perth, Perry Lakes
Take a W: Kalamunda
Planning their Mad Monday: Cockburn, Slammers
Planning their Sunday Service: Lakeside

Round 7 appears pretty straight forward, but the up and about Willetton and Mandurah taking on the nervous Goldfields and Joondalup respectively could set the tone for the middle part of the season. It looks like there’s not much else to write home about but as the Mirrabooka lads showed, anything can happen with the amount of talent getting around the league.

Julian Persava is looking the goods again. Will some NBL teams give him a look in?

Would love to hear everyones thoughts, be great to keep this thread alive

Favourites probably swept the round but some results that are good for the season storyline.

Mandurah's 55% shooting against Kalgoorlie last weekend was followed up by an absolute egg against the Wolfpack on the Thursday night. They snuck over the line against an improving Mirrabooka side on Saturday, but probably on the outside looking in of the contenders. Can’t ask for much more from Joondalup. Bank a huge win whilst undermanned and then get the rest of the weekend off.

Elijah Pepper being back from Boomers duty resulted in a pretty convincing double header clean sweep. Real question is whether he plays the whole season. Ellis back, Clarke becoming more acquainted and England throwing down jams. Availability and health the only thing that can stop the politicians at this stage.

Kalgoorlie bounce back after two home losses with their second two win road trip, albeit with some pretty low scores from an equally tight rotation. Lennon is heavily relying on his Yanks and Aussie Africans to score, but didn’t crack 90 in either game. Willo was missing Gerovich, but 71 points isn’t winning you too many games, while Cockburn will be kicking themselves for what they threw up today.

Gero got back on track, Bunbury offered not much against Rocko and Kalamunda, Lakeside battled and Redbacks split their games like the betting market suggested they would.

Ladder position short sentence reviews:

Warwick: Can’t see them losing
Rockingham: Did what they should
Goldfields: Bank the two wins
Joondalup: Hope they enjoyed their weekend off
Mandurah: Need good shooting to compete
Geraldton: Shaky but solid
Willetton: What is that, what was that.
Kalamunda: Needs a big scalp

Perry Lakes: Looking for an identity
Redbacks: Better than some, worse than most
East Perth: Potential to jump out of the glut
Lakeside: Long bus trip ahead
Cockburn: Big missed opportunity
Slammers: West Coast won first

Lakeside were very short priced favs Sat vs Perth, what a fall from grace it has been for them this year.

Butts I think you are being too generous to East Perth. How on earth are they 2 and 5 with a roster spend that would rival Wolves and Flames? And just added Jonah Antonio

It's fair feedback. However I did say potential, and that is very different than results. You’re bang on with the call about their spend, so talent will win them a few games and probably even out some of the Xs and Os. They are in a glut with the others looking to try and snag that eighth spot on the ladder, but can’t see them making too much noise. At this stage you’d take Kalamunda over them.

Does anyone even jump into top eight from here assuming all things are equal health wise?

My early pick for end-of-season top-8 for the Men......

1. Flames #
2. Senators #
3. Wolves
4. Buccs
5. Giants
6. Tigers
7. Magic
8. Eagles
9. Suns
10. Redbacks
11. Hawks
12. Lightning
13. Slammers
14. Cougars

# Currently have a big reliance on their NBL players, and unavailability during the NBL1 playoffs could be a factor.

With Mandurah men playing against many of the lower rank teams, are they a bit overrated?

Anyone know when Rowman Mackenzie is back?

East Perth, surely, they are grand final bound

5 americans
1 NBL player
1 seven footer
Cheir Maker

For the Suns, Terrico isnt exactly setting the world on fire

Anyone know when Rowman Mackenzie is back?

My hot form continues, called that I couldn't see Warwick losing and they proceeded to get taught an absolute lesson by Geraldton with Johny Narkle making a couple of the Wildcats players wonder why Gerovich got picked over him for a DP spot. Joondalup dominated Perth but ran out of legs in OT against Rockingham with old mate Olgun in attendance. Both teams look like they will be there at the pointy end. Bertram and Pesava are probably wanting a bit more from their yanks as they fell over the line against Cockburn. Both Kalgoorlie and East Perth won without cracking 80 points, Willo got out to an early lead and held on against Perth, and Hawks won the battle for eighth.

Quick reviews

Stirling: 87 points can win you a game, but need more than 10 points from a pretty talented bench. A lot of the offense still going through Pepper, but will he be around for the playoffs?

Rockingham: Caught Joondalup on the back end of a double header, but were impressive to take a win in OT. All is tracking nicely for another crack at the title this year.

Goldfields: Three low scoring wins in a row are banked, but none were very convincing. The tight rotation continues with 4/5 starters clocking over 35 mins.

Mandurah: The questions about this team's chance to compete with the top end teams are louder with a two point win over Cockburn. Virtually nothing from the bench and two yanks who aren't shooters.

Geraldton: Huge statement against the ladder leaders, particularly defensively. Narkle coming into scoring form will make a few teams nervous.

Willetton: Beat Redbacks who were on a back to back. Low scoring and unconvincing. Is age finally catching up to Vigor, Scott and Armour?

Joondalup: Better than their record and I would expect them to jump over Willo, Goldfields and Mandurah. Easy to forget how young Ethan Elliot is the way he plays.

Perry Lakes: Damo will take an away win and now they're currently leading the glut. Wouldn't want a wobble against Bunbury.

Kalamunda: Finally something from Terrico White, currently in the glut. Big test this week against Joondalup.

East Perth: Poorly beat an even poorer Slammers side. Extra rest could make the difference on Sunday against Kalgoorlie in an important clash. Still in the glut.

Perth: Two losses not what they drew up and could fall out of the glut. Already 3 and 8, tough to see a path to enough wins to make the finals.

Lakeside: Unlucky not to take a win in Kalgoorlie and hit the gold bar. Corey Shervill missing his mate Rowan a lot right about now.

Cockburn: Missed opportunity for their second win of the season, showing a bit more of late which is good to see. A bit more from Josh Hunt would make the Cougar Family smile.

South West: 63 points isn't great. Neither is 30 per cent field goal percentage.

Best Offence:
108.3 - Flames
106.1 - Senators
102.2 - Wolves
97.5 - Buccaneers
97.4 - Magic
94.3 - Giants
92.8 - Tigers
89.2 - Eagles
84.5 - Lightning
82.8 - Slammers
82.3 - Suns
82.0 - Cougars
80.6 - Hawks
80.4 - Redbacks

Best Defense:
82.9 - Buccaneers
83.4 - Suns
85.6 - Giants
86.0 - Senators
86.1 - Tigers
87.8 - Hawks
93.9 - Redbacks
94.3 - Lightning
94.5 - Eagles
94.9 - Flames
95.2 - Wolves
96.3 - Magic
96.8 - Cougars
100.1 - Slammers

Is Max Groom going to play for the Perth Redbacks?

Shout out to the eshays who pulled the fire alarm during Warwick Goldfields last night causing an evacuation!

Another fun week down over the long weekend in the Men's as the competition hits the halfway mark. A clear hierarchy has begun to emerge with Warwick and Rockingham at the top, despite lingering questions about availability come finals time for their NBL players. Joondalup, Willetton and Geraldton sit firmly in the chasing pack even with a couple of wobbles here and there. Mandurah and Goldfields are both very top heavy, but probably sit just above the glut of East Perth, Perry Lakes, Kalamunda and Perth who are competing for the final spot in the eight. Lakeside, Cockburn and Bunbury aren't much chop this year, but all can be competitive on any given night despite just three combined wins.

Warwick - Got over the line in an entertaining clash against Kalgoorlie, despite the aforementioned fire alarm. A nice bounce back after falling short in Geraldton for their first loss. Their depth really sets them apart with three genuine front liners who would be close to the number one option on most other teams.

Rockingham - Must have called in some favours to get a Friday night game against Mandurah and then have the rest of the long weekend off. A nice all-round performance again led by Isaac White with the game done at 3/4 time.

Willetton - Winning close games matter when chasing that top four spot. Winning close games matter even more when your home-grown captain celebrates his 300th. Sunday arvo games can always be dangerous for Perth teams who might not play one all year. A very good win to get it done in OT.

Joondalup - The flip side of Rockingham, a late Sunday arvo game their only one for the weekend. Winning is winning, even if you shot 38% from the field. Take it and bank it.

Geraldton - Took care of business against Lakeside, with Ralphy never being in doubt of getting to the five threes needed to become the all-time leader, but would be disappointed not to double up on the Sunday. OT games always test the legs, but a good chance to jump into the top four went by the wayside.

Kalgoorlie - A tough 0-2 weekend. They were tied with Warwick with 90 seconds and were up 10 at the start of the fourth against East Perth. Good to see some scoring return on the Saturday, however another game under 80 points should be of concern. Next three games are against teams above them on the ladder. Need to win two to be a title threat.

Mandurah – Were taught a bit of a lesson on Friday night, with Bertram and Pesava still the only consistent scorers. Coach Utley would be wanting a bit more consistency from his yanks. Two wins ahead of the glut which is some nice breathing room.

Perry Lakes – Took care of business against Bunbury to jump into the eight and lead the glut. Nick Floyd putting together a nice couple of games gives the Floreat flock another front court option.

East Perth – Jekyl and Hyde season continues. Loses to Perth but then eeks out a low scoring win against Kalgoorlie. Definitely have the talent, but should have more than four wins for the season.

Kalamunda – Scoring less than 70 points in a game is not great, even without Marshall Nelson. The team did a lot of recruiting, but starting Marley Sam is a step in the right direction IMO.

Perth – Did what they had to do, beating another team within the glut, with five guys in double figures. Keep winning these games and they could get to the number needed for the eighth spot.

Lakeside – Showed a bit to be competitive against the Buccs, but just got overpowered in the end. Corey Shervill will get his, but it's getting hard for them to put up a winning score.

Cockburn – Josh Hunt responded in a big way to a slow season and Pondy put up 20 & 10. Still not enough for the chocolates but more steps in the right direction. Will win a couple of sneaky games in the second half of the year.

Bunbury – Halfway to Mad Monday at Fitzys.

To give hope to their club's existing coaches, do NBL1 clubs generally advertise coaching positions? Do they also advertise them externally?

What's everyone's opinions on getting a good balance between giving opportunities to the clubs juniors and recruiting paid players in?

Are there good examples of club's doing these things well and those that don't?

I mean do they generally advertise their coaching positions, both internally and externally, to ensure coaches are selected fairly?

Watched The Suns X Cougars last night- that 16 year old, Marley Sam is a weapon- is he going college? Really solid player!

Week 10 has been run and won as Warwick faltered and Rockingham jumped to the top of the ladder, while Willo and Gero made statements about their top four credentials. Joondalup and Kalgoorlie will be licking their wounds after games they should have been up and about for, and Mandurah laid an egg. The Giants and Magic might join the glut of the Hawks, Suns, Eagles and Redbacks as all four teams scored a win, with Perry Lakes pushing Rockingham hard. Lakeside took advantage of a tired Mandurah for their third win with both Cockburn and Bunbury disappointing.

Excited - Rockingham, the glut teams eyeing off eighth
Nervous - Mandurah, Kalgoorlie
Enjoy the win - Lakeside, Willetton, Geraldton

Rockingham - The fresher legs prevailed over Perry Lakes who played their second OT game in two days. Isaac White continues to press his case for league MVP to lead the win with 33 points playing all but 4 minutes, despite Jervon Pressley only playing 6 minutes and being -11.
Warwick - Is this a preview of what a Pepper-less Senators look like? Mitch Clarke stepped up well in his absence, but with Todd Whithers missing some games playing for the NBL-select side, their top end depth will be tested. You take Cody Ellis turning back the clock, but it would be hard to bank on that production week to week.
Willetton - Taeshon Cherry made light work of the bus trip to Kalgoorlie, 30 points on 75% shooting a good night in anyone's book. 57% from the field as a team is an even better night. A big win when they needed it and cements them in the top four.
Geraldton - Beat Joondalup and jumped ahead of them on the ladder. Johny Narkle and Liam Hunt combining for 54 and 20 is a problem for the league if they keep that form.
Joondalup - Not ideal and definitely have the firepower to score more 83 points, but only 8 bench points isn't going to win you too many games.
Goldfields - Three losses on the trot for Lennon's boys and the scoring struggles continue. You'd take Josh Duach's scoring as an unrestricted player, but seems to be a lack of consistency and bench scoring.
Mandurah - Pesava's 40 was overshadowed on Friday night in OT, and then the team ran out of legs on Saturday. Jules and Lachy Bertram still shouldering a heavy load and if they don't both fire, there will be a few more losses ahead.
Perry Lakes - Had a chance to make a huge statement, but two overtime games in two nights is a tough ask. Matt Leary took the absolute piss on Friday night, while the continued form of Nick Floyd is another big tick. Damo will hope they continue to score as freely in the second half of the season.

East Perth - A win over Warwick highlights this team's issue. The highs are high, the lows are low. Definitely the talent to make some noise but must iron out their consistency issues. With both Goldfields and Mandurah on a slide, they could hit some form to crack the top eight by season end.
Eastern Suns - Beat up on an average Cockburn team, taking the ball off of them 17 times, including 6 from Marley Sam. Marshall Nelson back in the line up helped the scoring issues with some solid bench play getting it done.
Perth - I'm sure Nixy always loves a win over Bunbury no matter the ladder position. Slammers are terrible and they got the job done, not much else to add.
Lakeside - Got the jump early against a tired Mandurah and held on the entire way. A bit of scoring support for Shervill led to a well deserved win over a team above them on the ladder.
Cockburn - Back to reality after a positive week. Need more from their Aussie crew as you're not winning much with 80 points.
South West - One less win than West Coast.

Competing for minor premiership: Rockingham, Warwick
Three teams for 3rd-4th: Willetton, Geraldton, Joondalup
Glut teams for 6th-8th: Goldfields, Mandurah, Kalamunda, Perry Lakes, East Perth, Perth
Bottom three: Lakeside, Cockburn, Bunbury

Round 11 one sentence reviews

Rockingham: Essentially had a bye
Warwick: Shot the piss out of it
Willetton: Keep winning close ones
Geraldton: Hard to beat at home
Joondalup: Big win over a glut team
Goldfields: Put a fork in them
Mandurah: Could miss finals
Kalamunda: Marshall Nelson

Perry Lakes: Back to reality
East Perth: Missed opportunity yet again
Perth: Lost to another glut team
Lakeside: Beat a team they were meant to
Cockburn: Would have liked a better showing
South West: Tough ask

https://www.instagram.com/tooshortfortheleague/

Hakeem's Rankings

Rockingham
Warwick
Willetton
East Perth
Geraldton
Joondalup
Goldfields
Mandurah
Perth
Kalamunda
Perry Lakes
Lakeside
Cockburn
South West

Hakeem's rankings look ok

But with Suns adding Bell and East Perth thrashing Redbacks, put Suns above Redbacks

End of Round 12
Top 2: Rockingham & Warwick
Competing for top 4: Willetton, Geraldton and Joondalup
Competing for top 8: Goldfields, Mandurah, Kalamunda, East Perth, Perry Lakes
Trying to ruin some seasons: Perth, Lakeside
Battlers: Cockburn, South West


Rockingham: Nearly got jumped by a Redbacks side on the second night of a double header. Thoroughly outplayed in the first but won each of the next three quarters, with 6 guys in double figures to stay on just one loss for the season. Isaac White would have nearly sewn up the MVP you would have thought, getting the and one to retake the lead with 14 seconds to go. It's what you pay these NBL guys for and he has shown his class time after time.

Warwick: Proved they are a class above against Kalamunda, even with Todd Withers having a relatively quiet night. Elijah Pepper back in form to go with solid games from Clarke, Creek and Pearl. It must be nice to have so many scoring options.

Willetton: Another double header and another two wins by less than 10 points for the Tigers. Very impressive to back it up coming from behind against Mandurah on Saturday after knocking off Lakeside down the stretch Friday night. 54 bench points on Saturday in a close game would make any coach in the country a happy camper.

Geraldton: A training run in the country clash. Johny Narkle closed the door at half time, scoring 31 of the team's 76 in the opening half. He cooled off to "only" finish with 53, score himself $200 and make the calls for him to get an NBL roster spot even louder.

Joondalup: Fell over the line against Perry Lakes, but sometimes you just bank the win and move on. No one really shined and Damo Ballantyne is too talented to have a 0-2-1-1-1 stat line. But if you play poorly and still win you keep moving in the right direction. Probably a level below the teams above, but have the record to steal a top four spot if someone loses a game they shouldn't.

Goldfields: Called it last week to put a fork in them and they were absolutely shown up by Gero. Results from the teams below them went their way, but they're now on a five game skid and have added not being able to stop teams in addition to not being able to score. A nice cameo from Nic Shaw to end the game will have the home crowd calling for more time for their locals.

Mandurah: Close enough wasn't good enough against Willo. Lachy Bertram found a way to stay involved without his shot dropping, but he needs to score for the Magic to be competitive. Definitely need more from Hamish Warden as the main guy off the bench, 1 point and 1 assist is poor from a player of his quality.

Kalamunda: Got taught a lesson in their first game with former Giant Randy Bell. Interesting mid-season addition considering their backcourt stocks with Nelson, Fee and Sam playing well. Pushes White to the starting four spot who definitely has the height at this level but unsure if he wants to bang bodies.

East Perth: Hit and miss is the only way to describe them. A chance to join Mandurah and Goldfields on 7 wins was wasted, even with Jonah Antonio out. Max Rice is playing some very nice basketball of late, but some consistency from his supporting cast is required if they are to play finals like their roster suggests they should.

Perry Lakes: Damien Barr would have taken Joondalup scoring 79 points every day of the week, but barely scratching 40 per cent from the field and 17 turnovers isn't the recipe. Nick Floyd up there with most improved this year, but I'm not sure they're getting what they need stat wise from the Chan/Nobensi point guard combo.

Perth: Laid a big ol egg against East Perth but almost snagged the biggest upset of the season over Rockingham, even with Lochy Cummings barely playing. Nixy would be pulling his hair out at the lack of success this year with a roster that should have won more than five games. Good signs from Mincherton and Formosa filling in the scoring absence on Saturday, but put a fork in their season. One win less than those above them, but the only team to play 16 games so far.

Lakeside: The god squad will be disappointed not to take out a big scalp after being tied with Willo with 2 minutes left, but the Tigers have been the most clutch team this year by far. Huge effort from Shervill and Lewis to play the whole game with Josh Davey out on 3x3 duties.

Cockburn: Lose to Bunbury on Friday then bounce back over East Perth on Saturday. Probably says more about the Morley mob than them, but when Josh Hunt scores well they will be competitive. It's easy to forget he's only 23, but Cockburn need a bit more consistency from him as their leading Aussie.

South West: Got a well-deserved first win of the season on Friday night. They had a few close opportunities earlier in the year, but with the ball game tied up in the closing minutes, they executed well down the stretch. Hope Fitzy's had enough purple UDLs for the celebrations.

It will be interesting to see how Wolves manage the season losing Elliot to college.

Very tough to see Pesava go down with that knee injury, hopefully it wasn't as serious as it looked.

A clear top five, five in the glut are battling for three spots and four teams looking to ruin some seasons with five rounds left.

The top five teams battled each other with a contender for game of the year as Rocko bounced back on Saturday against Warwick after dropping Friday's game to Joondalup. Willetton fail the test up in Geraldton who are getting increasingly hard to beat on their home floor.

Kalgoorlie broke their five-game skid over Bunbury, but missed out on a chance to put some separation on the other teams with a fourth quarter fade out on Sunday against Mandurah. East Perth continues to East Perth, beating Perry Lakes but losing to Lakeside. Kalamunda leap frogged the Peel boys into seventh with an easy win over Perth. A well-deserved third win for the Wally Hagan squad over Lakeside on Friday.

Rockingham: Dropped Friday's game up in Joondalup and let the Wolves score too easily, something they have struggled with this season. Isaac White scored 70 points for the weekend firming his MVP case, and coming up clutch again down the stretch, drawing the foul to take the game winning free throws with 17 seconds left over Warwick.

Warwick: Do they win with Todd Whithers? Maybe. But they scored 106 which is enough to win, and had a chance to win with the last possession. A tough game but some good reps to get in ahead of a finals push. Coops men Will be feeling confident they can win with a full squad.

Willetton: The Tigers have been clutch in close games, but this wasn't that, particularly disappointing after keeping the Buccs below 20 in the first quarter. It might be a rivalry keen WA watchers have made up, but Tom Gerovich laid an egg in his milestone game against Johny Narkle, whom he beat out for a Cats DP spot. 97 points can still win most games, but the defensive side needs some work in the season's last stretch.

Geraldton: It's not often teams score more in each successive quarter which culminated with 40 in the final quarter to shut the door on their top 4 rivals. Narkle battled through a tough shooting night to dominate with five other guys all cracking double figures.

Joondalup: Finally a bit of scoring and they were able to take another big scalp. Three blokes over 20, with two just shy of 30 is the type of production any coach is happy with. Arena Joondalup can be a fortress when they get the crowd going. Really good signs heading into finals and can steal sneak fourth if another team faulters.

Goldfields: The Kalboys beat Bunbury which is a welcome pressure release, but struggled with scoring again to drop an important game against Mandurah. Down by just one at the start of the fourth but the legs clearly got fatigued. Another mid year addition in Maler, but he hasn't added much rebounding for a team that needs interior help. Josh Duach is their most dangerous player by far, but 8 turnovers on Sunday isn't great.

Kalamunda: Closed the door on Perth's season pretty comfortably. Randy Bell, Travis Fee and Marshall Nelson is an explosive starting trio and combined for 63. The front court is a little weak with Vaiangina and Huntington getting up there in age, but the team can score in bunches.

Mandurah: Got a much needed win over Kalgoorlie on Sunday arvo, and would be happy with their execution in the fourth quarter. Even more impressive with Julian Pesava barely playing. The yanks picked up the slack with Jahcoree Ealy's near triple double and Sammie Freeman's big double double.

East Perth: They just keep getting in their own way. They have the talent to be a top 8 side, but keep dropping games they shouldn't. Easily took care of Perry Lakes on Friday as they held them under 20pts in both the 3rd and 4th. But then gave up a 10 point 3/4 time lead against Lakeside, who are still without Josh Davey, and only score 17 in the last stanza. I still think they make the 8 but gee are they making tough work of it.

Perry Lakes: That loss to East Perth is probably where most had them pegged at the start of the year and it's where they're at come the pointy end. Around the edge of finals, but not quite there. Nick Floyd leading all scorers off the bench is another tick for his most improved campaign, but the yanks combining for 17 points and six boards is a fail.

Lakeside: Lost to Cockburn and then beat East Perth. Sums up their season pretty well. Battling the teams around them and having the chance to ruin some seasons. Letting the Cougars imports combine for 70 is no good when you would assume most of the scout is targeted on them. Good job bouncing back to take down a team above them on the ladder on the second night of a double header on the back of Garbellini's career night (assuming the stats aren't wrong).

Perth: Way too many talented scorers to only put up 76 points at 35% scoring, and your top scorer only having 14 is not a good sign. Five weeks to go for Nixy's mob with a trip to Albany this weekend to take on Perry Lakes. Pretty sure one player has posted on Reddit asking what's there to do in Albany nightlife-wise...not much I wouldn't have thought.

Cockburn: Got the jump early against Lakeside and played the rest of the game essentially level. Martin scored player of the week with 40 and Nathan Pond showing you can't teach size with 18 & 15. Josh Hunt needs to find a bit more consistency as he's too talented to only have 5 points. Good to see the young boys getting some reps in.

South West: Maybe a few too many UDLs at Fitzy's last weekend. They had a really good chance to knock off a struggling Giants team and held the game reality close in the first half. Needed a big response in the third and put up 12 points to have no hope. Scoring less than 70 in NBL1 is no good, particularly against a defensively leaky Kalgoorlie squad. Give the better D-League sides two Americans and I think some could put up a better showing.

Thanks for the write up Butts

Any news on Pesava?

Anyone know if any of the NBL players will be leaving during finals?

East Perth mens team are terrible

They easily have one of the best teams in the league on paper and they have won 7 and out of 17 games!

Lost by just under 40 points to Goldfields!

Two of their imports played under 20 mins

East Perth mens team are terrible

Was at the Suns v Rockingham game on Friday.

Suns women showing some sign of life, Strelein has struggled with shooting form but it's also pretty hard when 3 of your players put up 20 attempts total - would like to see the rest of the team get more comfortable with shooting the rock.

Mens team played quite possibly their best game of the season THEN backed it up against Joondy the following night to move to 6th - this team is looking like it's clicking at just the right time.

On another note, a weekend of BUCKETs across all conferences, multiple 30 and 40 point games which has been awesome to see!

Shoutout to the Giants women on their 3rd win of the year against Eagles, love the way they're playing basketball at the moment.

Four weeks to go highlighted by two big wins for Kalamunda over Rockingham and Joondalup. Always big to take down sides above you on the ladder and that Randy Bell signing is looking like a genius move. Perry Lakes keep their season alive down in Albany in front of a packed crowd and are about the only team outside the eight still a chance to make it, two games behind in the win column, but do have a game in hand. They play Goldfields in a random standalone Sunday fixture to finish the season which could decide who makes finals.

Rockingham: Drop their third game of the season thanks to a big Lewis Thomas three and some free throw trading at the end. No starting five member excluding Isaac White cracking double figures undoes the good bench work from Boof and Presley. A tight 8 man rotation but it's right up there with any other in the league.

Warwick: Handled Willetton with ease in what could have been an exciting top four clash, with the game essentially over at quarter time with a 40-19 first stanza. Whithers back from his cheeky Japan trip showed just how good he is at this level. He combined with Clarke and Pepper are arguably the best trio in the league, with plenty of other talent capable of stepping up.

Geraldton: A gritty win with only the six players playing as their whole big rotation missed through a variety of reasons. Sparkle again leading from the front, and found his three point shot again after some lean shooting post his explosion in Kalgoorlie. The faithful will be hoping for their players back for a cracking Sunday game against Warwick which is half a chance of a grand final preview if the standings break the right way.

Willetton: Always take the split weekend and separated themselves from Joondalup with that Friday win, but a couple of recent failed tests against sides above them on the ladder with that showing against Warwick. Only four games left for the boys from the Boulevard before finals, including two against Bunbury, should mean a top four finish, but a lot of weight will be on their round 16 clash against Rockingham.

Joondalup: Not the time to get shaky, particularly as Ethan Elliott takes off to college for the rest of the season. Giving up a 17 point half time lead to Willo is bad, and then letting Kalamunda get off probably kisses their chances of top four goodbye. Jordan Wellstead with some good assist numbers on the Saturday, but needs to put up more than three shots across 50 combined minutes.

Kalamunda: What a weekend for the Hills mob. Executed down the stretch and took probably the upset of the season over Rocko on Friday before backing up on Saturday, with Randy Bell going absolutely mad to take down the Wolves. Not sure they can catch Joondalup on the ladder, even if they do have a game in hand, but the momentum those wins bring them may mean more over the final four weeks.

Goldfields: Finally a bit of joy for the Kalgoorlie crowd after three horror losses in a row in the flash new stadium. Parsons, Duach and Stewart need to fire for the Giants to win, and they did combining for 85 points. For a team which has struggled to crack 80 multiple times this year, it is good signs going forward, even if it was against East Perth who don't expend much energy on that end of the floor.

Mandurah: No Jules for them against their South West rivals and from all reports it could be that way for the rest of the season. If it wasn't for Ealy's long fingers on Poplar's game winning attempt, the season could have gone from bad to worse. But they did enough to chalk up another win as they limp towards the finals. The defending champs have two games left against Redbacks which should get them to enough wins to play finals again.

Perry Lakes: A trip down memory lane for former Raider Damien Barr as his side scrounged out a low scoring win over Perth, with just three points for Albany local Matt Leary. Nick Floyd keeps levelling up and is shooting a stupid 63% for the season. Hawks are realistically the only side outside the eight who could play finals, but must win both games this week over Cockburn and East Perth to keep those hopes alive.

East Perth: Well that was disappointing and you can just about put a line through their season, needing to win 4 of their last 5 to get to 11 wins, which still probably isn't enough. Lost all four quarters and the game was slammed shut as they gave up 38 points in the final quarter. If it wasn't for the veteran Lee Roberts it could have been a lot uglier. A big game this weekend against Perry Lakes to see if they can convince themselves they are a serious basketball team.

Lakeside: Got beaten by 20 by six players, even if it was against Gero on the hardest road trip in the league. They stuck around for long enough, only down 12 at 3/4 time, but any hopes of tired Buccs legs went unfulfilled. Josh Davey was back and three blokes had 20. But 88 points against Gero isn't going to win too many games.

Perth: The Redbacks seemed to embrace the country trip, even if rumours of reddit nightlife advice remain plausible yet unconfirmed, but it wasn't enough. No Joe Cook-Green meant scoring would be hard to come by, and it was despite 27 bench points. A long season for the Belmont boys and another week closer til Mad Monday.

Cockburn: Made the most of catching Bunbury on the tail end of a back to back and sneakily won three in a row. Well done to Dimmock, Fitzgerald and Noi for showing something off the bench when the starters weren't exactly lighting it up. The boys will be up and about for a fun Thursday night fixture this week against Perry Lakes as former Cougar Cub Seva Chan gets to celebrate his 301st.

South West: Will be kicking themselves not winning on Friday over Mandurah. It can always be hard to back up the next night after a close loss, and their second quarter is what did them. Poplar carrying a huge load, but good signs from Captain Craig. Hope he doesn't make the move up to Perth. The league is better when Bunbury aren't easy beats.

Whatever happened to the east Perth mens home brand last dance doco's?!

The home brand doco takes time and effort.

It's not paid and done purely out of passion and a hobbie.

If you know nothing about video or production I don't expect you to understand or comprehend the intricacies of producing something like this.

Would have liked to continue doing more, but work, life commitments makes it hard.

Thanks for watching.

Not home brand on the production. Home brand on the narrative.

I guess they are less keen to engage given how they aren't going as well as expected and the stuff around player movement.

The lack of a follow up episode isn't on the club's willingness - it's purely an availability and time variable on my end.

No club will willingly let you expose everything warts and all - unless they are being financially compensated. To expect a volunteer production to do that is a unrealistic.

I've been wanting to do something on the women (who have been winning), but time and scheduling have meant we'd just not got around to it.

Thanks for clearing up!

Jules Pesava is out for the next 1.5 years tore his ACL/MCL- such a shame as he was having career year and was having real NBL interest up north.

NBL interest at 30?

Alex Starling?

Starling, like Stith, got citizenship which got them opportunity.
Pesava is Australian. If he wasn't good enough at 25, 26, 27 then no one is signing him at 30.

Yeah mate, he's an Aussie now — not an import — and was 33 when he got signed.Let’s compare apples with apples.
Julian had serious interest from Cairns for a DP spot before his injury.
Not sure why you’re hating — he just had an unreal 18 months. Deserved a call-up, even as a 12th or 13th man. Earned it.

Would have thought it too old for a dp?

If Ethan Elliott and Ben Henshall can at go to college at those ages too, anything is possible now! haha

Looking at teams through out the season, would it be ideal one day to make the season one more week longer and introduce a bye round for teams like the afl does. Since we copied the finals format of the AFL. Give teams who have back to backs in consecutive weeks a break. Just an idea!!

the league is cooked until they start fixturing each team playing each other team the same number of times (i.e. play eachother twice).

^ Agree.

NBL DPs had to be under 26 last I checked.

The number of serious injuries in the past couple of weeks really isn't a good look. Compressing the season to finish before a national tournament nobody even cares about really isn't ideal. My understanding was that the national tournament is scheduled when it is in the hopes NBL guys would stick around for it, but that's clearly never going to happen so maybe it's worth giving up on that idea and having it later in the year?

Cut off for DP age is they can't turn 25 during the season , cut off end of March or April.

https://nbl.com.au/news/nbl-announces-rule-changes

Development player roster spots will now be available to any non-restricted player under 25 years of age, even if they have already had a fully contracted spot on an NBL roster.

Does anyone know where Aaron Trahair is?

The last time I posted I called East Perth terrible, then they got blown out by 11th place Lakeside

Is Mandurahs import out, can they win any more games without him and Pesava?

The only reason i spoke about the bye rounds is as a former player i do understand not playing everyone twice to limit games due to nbl players having to leave by time finals arrive basically and im sure lots of players dont mind less games due to how long it would be haha. Seeing all the injuries happening this season, if they want to cut 4 games at least make a bye round for teams cause players drop like flies in june/july most crucial end part of season.

With the playoffs looming, hopefully Butts does another write up this week

Does anyone know when Jahcoree Ealy will be back playing?

2-3 months would be my guess.

We are back after a brief school holiday sojourn and there is only two weeks to go. The top five are basically set, really just some shenanigans to see who gets the home final. The glut of 6-8 is where it gets interesting with results mostly going the way of the teams already in there, and the coming fixture means it is probably set. However Lakeside are coming home with a wet sail with the return of Rowie and the enigma that is East Perth have a game in hand, but have Joondalup and Gero to finish in Round 18. Two teams do need to advance, can probably lock in Joondalup as one, but someone else will win a final and it will be very interesting to see who.

Rockingham: Cruised to a win over their Stock Rd neighbours, even if they let Lachy Bertram stat-pad in the fourth. They really impressed on Saturday over Willetton, Isaac White 1 assist away from a triple double and scored Rocko's final five points of overtime and iced the game with clutch foul shots. The weird fixture sees them play Lakeside twice to finish, who are playing well, but should win to finish the season on top.

Warwick: Elijah Pepper is like Scottie Scheffler beating up on everyone at the Open, he's just a class above and shows the difference between full-time players and the semi-pros juggling work/study and basketball. 103 points in under 63 minutes across the two games is just silly, even against bottom 6 teams. They have Battle of Joondalup II this weekend before going against an improved Cockburn to finish. I back them to win both to finish with just the four losses for the year.

Geraldton: They were made to work against Cockburn, taking just a four-point buffer going into the last quarter which got down to one, but a clutch three possession run pushed it to 8 and that was all she wrote. As big a fan I am of Narkle, his three point shooting is a watch. He's gone just 10-39 over his last five games, which puts a lot of pressure on their ability to spread the floor given the hot and cold nature of De Santis.

Willetton: Willo are in a good spot despite losing what is probably the game of the year. They pushed the ladder leaders to an OT loss, with the talk of Tana Kopa getting a Wildcats DP spot is more than justified as he tied it at the end of regular and dropped 30 off the bench. Some may say, I included, he is more justified than Gerovich for that spot production, and future NBL prospect-wise. A light schedule against Cockburn and South West means they should hold onto their top four spot.

Joondalup: Ticked the box against South West on the weekend and caught the Giants on the end of a back-to-back the week before for a soft two rounds. They've locked away playoffs and based off the draw they probably can't rise or fall from fifth on the ladder. Big test this week against Warwick which will probably determine whether they are a threat, or just making up the numbers.

Goldfields: The last two weeks have been a microcosm of the Kalboys season. Struggled to score on their road trip to Perth, failing to put up 80 and missed a huge chance to knock off Rocko, and then took the win as they scored in bunches over the Redbacks at home on Saturday. Jerome Reid showed he can score with the best putting up 41, knocking down 9 from downtown. Outside of an early season win over Willetton, Lennon's team hasn't beaten anyone above them all year. They should make finals either way, but need a win to lock it away.

Mandurah: Utley's men are running out of steam and players at this point of the season. I still can't believe Lachy Bertram nearly gave it all away after having no opportunities at Redbacks. His level of athleticism and skill was always going to translate, even if he is a little bit on the smaller side. No Jules and Ealy means they are probably done, but games against Perth and Kalamunda to finish, but tough draws for Lakeside and East Perth mean they should sneak in.

Kalamunda: A horror weekend for the Suns who were scorching hot coming off two big wins in round 14. You can understand the Warwick loss, and even give them credit getting the Senators down to a two possession game at the end of the fourth. But getting spanked by Lakeside and only scoring 5 in the fourth, and losing to East Perth is unforgivable at this stage of the season. Big bus trip to Kalgoorlie this weekend.

East Perth: In three weeks they lost to Kalgoorlie, got spanked by Lakeside and barely held on against Kalamunda. They have a lot of talent but as alluded to before, a tough final round means they are probably one win short of making finals. I would say wholesale changes are coming to the men from Morley, but lets be real, East Perth are gonna East Perth for the foreseeable future.

Lakeside: Rowan McKenzie came back in a big way and the Purple Squad have sneakily won four of their last five. My knock on them was a lack of scoring, but plugging in 36 points does a lot to alleviate those issues. Two games remaining against the ladder leaders probably ends any hopes of a post-season cameo, but you take the momentum and good feelings into the offseason.

Perry Lakes: Not sure what to make of the Hawks. Probably a miss on their roster construction this year. For years they had the core of Purser, Cassir, Clarke and Smith, and then plug in any recruits and the talented juniors coming through. Now those boys are out the door and the Floreat flock has found it's a bit harder than advertised to compete at this level. Cockburn, East Perth and Kalgoorlie are all winnable games, but their leaky defence and hot and cold offence makes them too hard to predict.

Cockburn: Pushed Gero all the way after four wins in a row means the Cougars are finishing the season with those aforementioned good vibes. More valuable minutes for the young boys off the bench are paying dividends with 29 bench points against Gero. They look to back up their win over Perry Lakes this week before a tough finish against Warwick to close out season 2025.

Redbacks: Five wins and a roster mostly made up of players from other clubs probably isn't what the Belmont faithful had on their bingo card for this year. Gave up 119 to Kalgoorlie who have struggled to score two thirds of that more often than not this year and were missing their top scorer. 22 and 13 for Callan McDonald and some team bonding on the bus are two positives to take away. They have a good chance to beat an undermanned Magic this weekend and hope that Gero rests their boys in round 18.

South West: It was a bit rude of Coach Cooper to play Pepper 33 minutes, probably making up for not playing him in the fourth the night before. A trip up to Gero this week might see Narkle go one better and crack 60.

Coming to the pointy end of the seasons, definitely a clear divide between the contenders and the rest. Looking at the rest who will shake things up? New coaches who is on the chopping board who is in the mix for 2026.

Wolves - Looking for a new coach, word is there is already a short list
Eagles - Time for a change
Redbacks - Nix has had has assistant coaches coach the last 2 games while he sits and assists them
Cougars - Claydon 2 seasons in and can't seem to recruit any talent, although the young players are getting a chance to develop
Hawks - Barr hasn't done anything and can't recruit not as easy as Matt Parson's made it look
Lakeside - Malat not getting it done over the past 3 years, poor recruiting or injuries get in the way
Bunbury - Chalk got 1 more win than he did with the women
Giants - Smart is fun to watch, acts like a 5 year old having a tantrum most games, bit dysfunctional in the Goldfields
Suns - Trahair just not getting it done, not at Magic or at the Suns
Magic - Utley just had a crap run with injuries and hard to match 2024 will retool for next year knowing Utley

Thoughts

Rockingham
Warwick
Geraldton
Willetton
Joondalup
Goldfields
Mandurah
East Perth
Eastern Suns

Without their two starters can Mandurah win anymore games?

Can Eastern Suns hang on to a top 8 position?

Rockingham - Came home like Willy Pike in the last in a thriller over Lakeside on Friday night. Emmanuel Dech's half court heave kept the margin in touching distance before Isaac White showed why he is my MVP. His field goal attempts have missed the ocean standing on the beach, but found a way to keep getting to the line and ticking the scoreboard over. They have sneakily taken over Willo as the best clutch team to close out close wins in the league.

Warwick - The senate had to wait until the fourth to close the door on their northern suburb neighbours, but it is good reps for a team that have had it pretty easy for most of the season. Trailed by one heading into the last before two and a half straight minutes of Chamberlain and Pepper getting buckets turned the tide. Absolute clinic that proves the Warwick faithful they aren't just front runners.

Geraldton - The minutes got spread around in a training run against Bunbury with only two players cracking 28 minutes. The BWA awards this weekend sees the mid-west boys have a rare Friday night Perth fixture before they kick off the Aussie Hoopers on Saturday at 11am against East Perth. The Eagles game is a sneaky danger game if East Perth can get the W the night before.

Willetton - A high scoring win against Cockburn who have been one of the danger teams over the last month. Defensive issues aside giving up 119 to a bottom four team, it gives them a bit of form and confidence heading into the playoffs. All but locked into four place with a Friday trip to Eaton to get some run into their legs before their first-round match up, likely against Rockingham.

Joondalup: Had Warwick right where they wanted them, but as alluded to before, let it slip out of their hands pretty quickly. Not in the best form over the last month, with wins only over Bunbury and a tired Kalgoorlie team on the Sunday. Can't rise or fall but will be putting a lot of stock into their match up against the Eagles as they could be playing them again in a week's time.

Goldfields: You could argue this was their best win of the season in a game that had big play off ramifications. Randy Bell didn't get the return he was hoping for as his understudy from last season Sam Morrow easily won the match up. Interesting that the team scoring issues have disappeared as their top scorer Josh Duach missed two games in a row. Simple equation this week, beat Perry Lakes this week and get the home final.

Mandurah: Limping to the line and going down by two to the underwhelming Redbacks does not help. Stayed in the game right until the end, but lost the lead with 6 minutes remaining and could never quite get their noses back in front. They have the head-to-head over Goldfields and could still sneak into sixth place with results. They take on Kalamunda who are fighting to keep their finals hopes alive, the fixture makers will be patting themselves on the back.

East Perth: Beat Perry Lakes in a battle of 2025's most disappointing and were made to do it the hard way as the game went into the final quarter tied up. They have somehow snuck into the top 8, but taking on Joondalup and Geraldton this weekend will be hard going. Definitely not the form team but could find themselves playing finals due to a mix of good luck and other teams falling away.

Kalamunda: Laid an egg in arguably their most important game of the season. The good vibes of Round 14 wins over Rockingham and Joondalup are well in the rear view with four losses in a row. Marley Sam outscored Randy Bell, Travis Fee and Terrico White combined and continues makes the recruiting department look all the more silly. Surely they can't lose to a Magic team who have a chance to get hurt walking onto the court at the moment.

Lakeside: A cracking game for the Kayo match on Friday night, but maybe the party started a bit early for Jarrad Prue's jersey going into the rafters when AJ Wilson got on a fast break in the second to go up 40-12. Gave up the lead but still had the chance to win, but they could not execute and stop Isaac White getting to the line. Will be kicking themselves for not closing it out, but have a chance for revenge this week in a funny bit of fixturing.

Perry Lakes: Genuinely could be Damian Barr's last game in charge after missing finals two years in a row. You can count on one hand the times the Hawks have missed the finals since John Gardiner was in charge. The pipeline of the private schools means there will always be talented juniors coming through, but can that translate to senior level? A chance to ruin Kalgoorlie's hopes of a home final or have some good vibes before the awards night might motivate them for a positive finish to 2025.

Cockburn: The Cougar family have had a positive end to the year, push top four teams in back-to-back weeks. See if they can do it for a third straight week against Warwick. Definitely moving in the right direction heading into the off season, but the men would hope some of the club's resources be redirected from the women for season 2026.

Redbacks: A bit of positivity, and a feature on a game night vlog, in the penultimate round after a long bus ride back from Kalgoorlie to lick their wounds. Held their nerve down the line to keep a lead which never got over five points in the last 6 minutes to beat a Mandurah team who needed the win a lot more than they did. Geraldton is a tough final match up, but at least they finish with one more win than last year.

South West: Tough to have a road trip up to Geraldton in the second last week. Take on another top four side in Willo at home on Friday, but at least they can head straight to Fitzy's after. Got to get their recruiting right for next year.

Any one know why Naar isn't playing ?

Good write up, Butts

Does anyone know whats happening with Terrico White?

What are the scenarios for getting into 8th place?

My final round predictions...........

FRIDAY
Buccs def Redbacks
Wolves def Eagles
Senators def Cougars
Tigers def Slammers
Suns def Magic
Flames def Lightning

SATURDAY
Buccs def Eagles
Giants def Hawks

My predictions are based on a combination of current form, ladder positions, home court and injuries.

FINAL LADDER
19-3 Flames
18-4 Buccs
18-4 Senators
16-6 Tigers
14-8 Wolves
12-10 Giants
10-12 Suns
10-12 Magic
--------------
9-13 Eagles
8-14 Lightning
7-15 Hawks
6-16 Cougars
6-16 Redbacks
1-21 Slammers


HEAD-TO-HEADS
- Buccs 2-0 over Senators
- Suns have a greater "Points For/Against" percentage than the Magic
- Cougars have a greater "Points For/Against" percentage than the Redbacks


PLAYOFFS - FIRST ROUND
Flames vs Tigers @ Rockingham
Buccs vs Senators @ Geraldton
Wolves vs Magic @ Joondalup (loser knocked out)
Giants vs Suns @ Kalgoorlie (loser knocked out)

Well written JB.
Some interesting things to note.....

If the Flames slip up against the Lightning and lose, they will drop from 1st to 3rd (if the Buccs and Senators win all of their games), which would be a significant punch to the guts to Rocko. All three teams would finish equal, but the Buccs and Senators have a far superior points For/Against percentage than the Flames.

This spells trouble for East Perth because one of their games is against the Buccs, who will be sniffing a top-2 spot, and will travel to Perth with two wins firmly in mind - they are not going to take their foot off the pedal. All that said, the Eagles could still make the finals with two losses..... if Magic beat Suns. The Eagles and Suns would be level but East Perth have the head-to-head.

The situation is precarious for Kalamunda, and is the most black and white scenario across all teams - if they beat Mandurah it is highly likely they will finish 7th and head to Kalgoorlie the following week (they will finish 8th if EP win both games, unlikely). But if they lose to Mandurah, they will be knocked out and EP will grab the 8th spot.

Lakeside's status is interesting. They could still steal 8th spot if the Eagles and Suns do not win a game. But they would need to beat the Flames by at least 15-20pts, and hope that the Suns lose to Mandurah by 15-20pts. But it is possible.

Where teams could finish........
Flames - 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Buccs - 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Senators - 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Tigers - Can only finish 4th
Wolves - Can only finish 5th
Giants - 6th or 7th
Suns - 7th, 8th or 9th
Magic - 7th, 8th or 9th
Eagles - 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th
Lightning - 8th, 9th or 10th

Correct......
Mandurah can also finish 6th.

Magic - 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th

Sneaky midweek preview of what's ahead:

FRIDAY
Buccs v Redbacks:
As mentioned Gero have the head-to-head over Warwick so won't have the cue in the rack and look to win both games on the final week of the season. Haven't lost since round 9 and are red hot going into the finals. Getting those home games make them favourites in my books.

Wolves v Eagles:
East Perth can in theory still make finals so will be going all out in this Friday game. Joondalup can't rise or fall from fifth but have been pretty middling over the last month. Really depends which version of the Eagles show up, but you'd back the Wolves on talent.

Senators v Cougars:
Cockburn has been improved of late, pushing teams well above them on the ladder, however Senators must win to keep their hopes of a home first round on the cards. Pepper and Withers have begun full time Cats duties again, surely they don't get pulled.

Tigers v Slammers:
Willo to get a little tune up before the finals as they sit comfortably in Perth. Bunbury to stay the night and be close to best on at the BWA awards on Saturday.

Suns v Magic:
Suns have a lot to play for considering they dropped both games against East Perth this year. Magic are limping to the line, but still have one of the best coaches and a dynamic point guard. Surely Utley starts Marley Sam and lets him and Bertram go head-to-head the whole game.

Flames v Lightning:
Lakeside nearly stole one last week and will be disappointed they couldn't sneak an upset, which could have kept some very unlikely finals hopes alive. They have been one of the hottest teams over the last month and will push Rocko again. Does Naar play for the Flames to celebrate re-signing for next year and get some run in before finals.

SATURDAY
Buccs v Eagles
If both teams win on the Friday night this 11am Saturday fixture gets a lot more interesting. Even if the Eagles drop Friday, they have the split over Kalamunda, so can still make it with another upset over the Buccs. Buccs must win to keep their home court hopes alive, and that should be motivaiton enough.

Giants v Hawks:
Sneaky danger game for the Giants. Have finals locked up but need to win to ensure they lock up sixth spot and get the home game, as they definitely don't want to travel two weeks in a row. Hawks have been very average throughout the year, but chips all the way in on the last game of the season to spoil another team's plans can inspire.


My picks for the awards night:

MVP: Isaac White.

Coach of the Year: Ryan Petrik

Sixth Man: Verle Williams

Defensive Player: Todd Withers

Youth Player: Johny Narkle

as a super casual when it comes to NBL1 is there a reason for tipping White over Pepper for MVP?

White over Pepper because MVP doesn't equal best player, even though I still think White is the better player.

Correct me if I’m wrong but the MVP votes work with both teams plus the umpires submitting votes for each game.

Pepper not only missed a handful of games, but has to split with Clarke or Withers most nights, plus throw in a few random Ellis, Pearl or Shand games.

Whereas White has been Rocko’s best on a pretty consistent basis for the team on top of the ladder.

fair enough Butts, appreciate the response

I dont watch the league so I just see Peppers insane numbers and assume he must be MVP, though I'm aware White has been doing nice things too

What if East Perth win one game?

and Mandurah win

I see now... East P have the head to head

and Mandurah win

I see now... East P have the head to head

and Mandurah win

I see now... East P have the head to head

Last time Joondalup and EP met, the game was tied at the end of the fourth quarter

Mandurah spanked Kalamunda to cap off a disappointing last month for the Suns. Had everything to play for the last two weeks and gave up donuts. White had to be hurt because if not, throwing up a club tril in 9 minutes for an import is disgraceful. Unfortunately for Mandurah they've got to get back on the bus next weekend as Kalgoorlie held on against a feisty Hawks team, led by Leary in his 150th. A lot closer than the final score suggested and probably some good reps for Lennon’s squad in a close game. It got down to 4 points in the last minutes, but some good execution and clutch scoring held it off.

East Perth failed upwards. A decent showing on Friday against Joondalup, who they’ll play again this week, before being absolutely touched up by Gero. I did call it earlier in the season that they probably make finals when all is said and done, but what a disappointing team for such a high spend. Geraldton took care of business, needed two wins and got them both to secure home court with contributions across the board.



Rocko v Willo - Petrik’s team bounced back after a shaky game last week and learned their lessons against the purple squad. The flames have been the best team all year and no one really has an answer for White. Willo held onto fourth and get the second chance based off some close wins earlier in the year. You’d expect Rockingham to take it pretty comfortably.

Gero v Warwick - If you could get to any game this year this would be it. The feral Gero crowd will be in full voice and rightly so after more than two months without a loss. Warwick had the perfect tune up against Cockburn with Pepper rounding back into form. Toss of the coin game but give it to Gero at home.

Joondalup v East Perth - Joondalup have done well to weather Elliott’s absence. Have been fifth for most of the season and got to have a look first hand at any adjustments East Perth has made. Some random Instagram beef on the women’s side makes it a bit more fun. Joondalup takes the choccys at home.

Goldfields v Mandurah - Kalgoorlie has done very well to earn a home final after a horror mid season skid which saw them drop 7 in a row. Josh Duach returned and found form straight away, which gives them another scoring option. Mandurah have done very well to almost sneak the home final after so many injuries. If the Giants score more than 90 they win, otherwise it’s another 50/50 game.