Elite talent ready for NBL1 South Women’s final four

The depth of elite women’s basketball talent will be on display when Knox Raiders, Sandringham Sabres, Waverley Falcons and Diamond Valley Eagles contest the NBL1 South 2026 Women’s Preliminary Finals.

The four remaining teams feature Australian Opals, WNBL champions, senior international representatives and some of the country’s best emerging talent.

NBL1 South 2026 featured 44 WNBL players, including development players, an increase on 2025.

The competition attracted 30 international basketball players (imports), also an increase on last season.

Combined with the Opals, Sapphires, Gems, 3x3 Gangurrus and other senior national-team representatives competing across the conference, those numbers demonstrate a level of women’s talent and depth unmatched elsewhere in NBL1.

NBL1 South League Manager Alison Cody said the quality of the competition was a source of great pride for the league.

“We’re incredibly proud of the level of talent competing in NBL1 South and the strength and depth of women’s basketball across the conference,” Cody said.

“To have Opals, Gangurrus, Sapphires, Gems, WNBL players and international representatives competing alongside some of Australia’s best emerging talent speaks to the quality of the league.

“The Preliminary Finals bring that depth together, with four outstanding teams and players and coaches who have performed at the highest levels of the game.

“It is also rewarding to see NBL1 South players progress into national teams and the WNBL, while established professionals continue to choose the South as an important part of their basketball.”

Sandringham will be led by Stephanie Reid, who has been selected in the Australian Opals’ final team for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.

Reid has also signed as the marquee player for the Tasmania Jewels’ inaugural WNBL season, adding another chapter to a career that already includes an FIBA Women’s Asia Cup gold medal and a WNBL championship.

She has driven Sandringham’s run into the final four with 19.47 points and 6.13 assists per game.

Reid is surrounded by further WNBL experience in Funda Nakkasoglu, Lucy Cochrane and WNBL championship winner Klara Wischer, while 17-year-old Sapphire Madison Ryan continues to establish herself as one of Australian basketball’s leading young prospects.

Ryan helped the Australian Sapphires win bronze at the 2026 FIBA Under 17 Women’s Basketball World Cup and was selected in the tournament’s All-Star Five after averaging 14.1 points, six rebounds and 2.9 assists.

She returned to NBL1 South as the competition’s Youth Player of the Year and has averaged 17.54 points and 7.23 rebounds, helping the Sabres reach the final four while competing alongside established Opals and WNBL players.

Nakkasoglu has added 17.58 points per game, while Wischer has contributed 13.91 points and 9.73 rebounds.

The Sabres are coached by Geelong Venom head coach Cheryl Chambers, a three-time WNBL championship coach and former WNBL Coach of the Year.

Their opponent, Knox, enters the weekend as the reigning NBL1 South and NBL1 National champion.

The Raiders’ success continued NBL1 South’s recent dominance on the national stage, following Waverley’s National Finals championship in 2024 and Bendigo’s title in 2023.

Three different South clubs have now lifted the NBL1 National championship across the past three seasons.

Alicia Froling helped the Townsville Fire win the WNBL26 championship and has re-signed with the club for WNBL27.

She made her Opals debut during the recent two-game series against China at Rod Laver Arena.

Froling has averaged 16 points, 11.62 rebounds and 1.43 blocks for Knox, while Sydney Flames player Agnes Emma-Nnopu adds further WNBL quality.

Former Sydney Flames import guard Paige Bradley has continued the form that earned her MVP honours in both the NBL1 South and NBL1 National Finals in 2025, averaging 14.70 points and 6.65 assists.

Knox is again led by Craig Simpson, who coached the Raiders to both the NBL1 South and NBL1 National championships last season.

Diamond Valley’s Abbey Ellis has delivered one of the competition’s most impressive individual seasons.

The Townsville championship guard also took on China with the Opals at Rod Laver Arena and leads the Eagles with 23.41 points per game, while averaging 3.73 assists and making 3.45 three-pointers.

Ellis has re-signed with the Fire for WNBL27 and is joined at Diamond Valley by Geelong Venom forward Alex Sharp.

Sharp has averaged 13.95 points and a team-high 8.86 rebounds, while Erin Riley has contributed 12.54 points and 4.46 assists.

The Eagles are coached by Australian Opals coaching staff member Dee Butler, adding another high-performance connection to a Preliminary Final already filled with national and international experience.

Waverley’s group includes Southside Melbourne Flyers forward Carley Ernst and New Zealand national team guard Tayla Dalton.

Dalton has averaged 10.70 points, four assists and 2.43 steals, while Katelyn Shumate leads the active Falcons with 14.17 points per game.

Sophia Locandro has added 12.47 points, 6.26 rebounds and 1.21 blocks as Waverley looks to return to the Grand Final after winning the NBL1 South and NBL1 National championships in 2024.

The Falcons are led by 500-game senior representative head coach Elias Palioyiannis, who coached the club to its NBL1 South and National championship double.

The strength of NBL1 South could again be reflected at the NBL1 National Finals in Adelaide from August 21 to 23.

As the reigning National champion, Knox has already qualified. If the Raiders defeat Sandringham, the winner of Waverley and Diamond Valley will also punch its ticket, securing a second representative for NBL1 South.

The talent in the final four reflects the standard seen throughout the competition.

Opals World Cup selection Isabelle Bourne also competed in NBL1 South 2026, while Australian 3x3 Gangurrus Emma Clarke, Lara McSpadden and Marena Whittle represented the country internationally during the year.

Whittle and Clarke helped the Gangurrus claim a historic silver medal at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, while all three featured in Australia’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal campaign.

From Ryan and the Australian junior pathway to Opals, Gangurrus, WNBL players and senior international representatives, NBL1 South 2026 has brought together every level of elite women’s basketball in one competition.

With 44 WNBL players, 30 imports, extensive national-team representation and the winners of the past three NBL1 National championships, no other NBL1 conference can match that depth of women’s talent.

Only two teams will advance to the NBL1 South 2026 Women’s Grand Final, but the Preliminary Finals will again showcase why the South remains the benchmark for women’s basketball across NBL1.