No Second Chances: NBL1 South Men’s Semi-finals Set

The NBL1 South Men’s Finals continue on Saturday night with four Semi-finals and eight teams still chasing the 2026 championship.

Melbourne, Nunawading, Frankston and Eltham enter the postseason after earning an opening weekend bye. Sandringham and Dandenong arrive with momentum after surviving last weekend’s Elimination Finals.

The regular season has determined where the games will be played. From here, each team’s season comes down to one performance.

Semi-Final 1
Melbourne Tigers vs Sandringham Sabres

Saturday 1 August | 6:30pm AEST
Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre

The defending champions remain alive, setting up a rematch of the 2025 NBL1 South Grand Final.

Melbourne finished the regular season on top of the men’s standings with 17 wins and five losses.

Tom Wilson (21.55 PPG, 5.23 APG, 4.95 RPG) earned NBL1 South First Team selection, while Jack Purchase (17.90 PPG, 5.65 APG, 3.10 3PM) and George Blagojevic (16.36 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 56 per cent FG) were selected in the NBL1 South Second Team.

The Tigers’ collective performance was also recognised through the 2026 NBL1 South Club of the Year award.

Sandringham advanced with a 99 to 91 victory over Casey after recovering from a 16 point deficit.

Malith Machar scored 34 points with six three pointers, while Kyle Adnam produced 24 of his 30 points after half-time.

Adnam (22.47 PPG, 4.12 APG) has scored 100 points across his past two games after setting a new NBL1 single game record with 70 points against Northern Force.

Machar (20.50 PPG, 3.20 3PM) earned NBL1 South Second Team selection, while Kyle Bowen (15.74 PPG, 9.39 RPG, 1.39 BPG) provides the Sabres with an important interior presence.

The teams split their regular season series, with the visiting team winning both games. Melbourne won 81 to 66 at Southern Basketball Stadium in Round 3 before the Sabres responded with a 101 to 97 victory at MSAC in Round 14.

Sandringham has already demonstrated it can win at the venue hosting the Semi-final. Melbourne, however, held a 178 to 167 aggregate scoring advantage across the two meetings.

The Tigers’ three recognised stars meet a Sandringham group carrying significant momentum, with the defending champions now attempting to extend their season at the venue where they won last month.

Semi-Final 2
Nunawading Spectres vs Keilor Thunder

Saturday 1 August | 7:00pm AEST
Nunawading Basketball Centre

Nunawading begins its finals campaign at home after a 16 win regular season that earned Andrew Cutler the Men’s Coach of the Year award.

Christian D’Angelo (20.41 PPG, 2.86 3PM) earned NBL1 South First Team selection, while Dylan Penn (18.05 PPG, 7.27 APG) provides the primary playmaking.

Benjamin Griscti (16.50 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 53 per cent FG), Owen Lobsinger and Jack Gandolfo give the Spectres additional scoring, rebounding and perimeter shooting.

Keilor counters with a versatile backcourt capable of creating offence and applying defensive pressure.

Deng Dut (18.36 PPG, 6.50 APG, 58 per cent FG) leads the Thunder in scoring and assists, while Tana Kopa (17.64 PPG, 3.32 3PM) provides the leading perimeter threat.

Landon Seaman (16.0 PPG) adds another scorer, while Daniel Foster (15.29 PPG, 7.59 RPG, 5.24 APG, 2.35 SPG) influences the contest across several categories.

Nunawading won the teams’ only regular season meeting 102 to 83 at Nunawading Basketball Centre in Round 3.

The Spectres return to the same venue with confidence from that 19 point victory. Keilor has had more than three months to develop and must now find a way to disrupt Penn’s playmaking and Nunawading’s perimeter shooting.

Nunawading can generate offence through several contributors, but Keilor’s backcourt combination of Dut, Foster and Kopa gives the Thunder multiple ways to create a different result.

Semi-final 3
Frankston Blues vs Knox Raiders

Saturday 1 August | 7:00pm AEST
Jubilee Park Stadium

Frankston begins its finals campaign at home with four established scoring options.

Jeremy Combs (21.11 PPG, 8.11 RPG) leads the Blues in scoring, while Daniel Trist (17.07 PPG, 7.67 RPG, 53 per cent FG) adds size and efficiency.

Austin Shelley (16.91 PPG, 3.95 APG) directs the offence, with Dibaji Walker (16.59 PPG, 5.32 RPG, 52 per cent FG) providing another scorer around the basket.

Knox is led by NBL1 South First Team selection Trazarien White (23.36 PPG, 5.77 RPG, 3.05 APG).

Brandon Slater (17.05 PPG, 7.29 RPG) gives the Raiders another scorer and rebounder, while Kobe Williamson (14.86 PPG, 9.09 RPG, 52 per cent FG) leads the team on the glass.

Only one point separated the teams during the regular season. Frankston defeated Knox 86 to 85 at Jubilee Park Stadium in Round 12, the same venue hosting Saturday’s Semi-final.

That result gives Frankston home court confidence without providing any real margin for comfort. Knox has already shown it can remain within one possession at Jubilee Park.

Frankston can attack through Combs, Trist and Walker around the basket, while Knox will rely on Williamson and Slater to match their physical presence.

On the perimeter, White’s scoring meets Shelley’s ability to organise a deep Blues offence. After only one point separated the teams across their first 40 minutes, execution late in the game could again prove decisive.

Semi-final 4
Eltham Wildcats vs Dandenong Rangers

Saturday 1 August | 8:00pm AEST
Montmorency Secondary College

Eltham finished second with 17 wins and five losses while allowing only 79.4 points per game, giving the Wildcats the best defensive record in NBL1 South.

TJ Weeks (18.47 PPG, 2.53 3PM) leads Eltham in scoring, while Zak Cunningham (16.18 PPG, 8.55 RPG, 1.05 BPG) provides size and defensive versatility.

Harrison Hornery (14.95 PPG, 2.32 3PM) adds another perimeter scorer and Mitchell McCarron (11.91 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.55 RPG) organises the offence.

McCarron’s ability to create for Weeks, Cunningham, Hornery and Leonardo Colimério (12.95 PPG, 5.45 RPG) allows Eltham to generate offence without relying on one scorer.

Dandenong advanced with a 99 to 92 victory over Kilsyth behind 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from Harry Froling.

Froling (25.30 PPG, 7.65 RPG, 4.43 APG) earned NBL1 South First Team selection, while Joe Palmer (22.10 PPG, 7.76 RPG, 3.33 3PM) was selected in the NBL1 South Second Team.

Sam Davidson (15.87 PPG, 2.30 3PM) gives the Rangers a third scorer, while Ryan Rapp helps organise the offence around Dandenong’s leading pair.

Dandenong won the teams’ only regular season meeting 87 to 75 at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Round 2.

The Rangers have already shown they can successfully attack Eltham, but the Wildcats developed into the competition’s leading defensive team across the remainder of the season.

Dandenong brings two recognised stars and the momentum of from last week's victory. Eltham counters with home court, defensive organisation and an offence built around McCarron’s creation and a balanced group of scorers.

By the end of Saturday night, eight contenders will have become four.

Melbourne, Nunawading, Frankston and Eltham earned the right to begin their finals campaigns at home. Sandringham and Dandenong have already shown they can perform with their seasons at stake.

The margins created across 22 regular season games no longer matter. One victory opens the door to the final four. One defeat ends the campaign.