Hickey and Davis say NBL1 South 2026 is set for a major shake up

Image Credit: Lauri Walker @laurijeanphotos

Matt Hickey and Beth Davis believe NBL1 South 2026 is shaping as one of the competition’s most intriguing seasons yet, with a new finals format, heavy player movement and no shortage of questions heading into Round 1.

Speaking at the NBL1 South 2026 Season Launch at Hoop City in Port Melbourne, Hickey said the early rounds will be crucial as teams adjust after another busy off season. “The silly season is chaotic in NBL1, as everyone in this room knows,” Hickey said. “And I’m just fascinated to see those first few rounds as the teams feel each other out.”

Hickey said the changes to the finals structure will add another layer to the season. “The finals thing I think is fascinating,” he said. “No double chance now for the top four. So that is going to be fascinating to watch.”.

Davis said player movement across the league could reshape the finals race. “A lot of the movement from the clubs this year and players changing teams to different NBL1 South clubs as well, it’s going to be a big shake up,” Davis said. “And some of the teams that were in finals last year may not make finals even with now it being a top 10 instead of a top eight.”

One of the biggest clubs to watch, according to Davis, is Geelong United after its dominant women’s season in 2025. “It’s interesting you talk about Geelong and their success last year, because I think that’s something that will be really interesting to watch this year,” she said. “Geelong went undefeated last season, but they haven’t brought back a lot of their players. Their players in the women’s team have moved on to other clubs, so the team this year is going to be a very different team and it’ll be really interesting to see how they go.”

Davis also highlighted Steph Reid’s move to Sandringham as one of the major player moves in the women’s competition. “I think again on the women’s side, Steph Reid moving from Diamond Valley to Sandringham is a big move as well,” Davis said.

Hickey said there are several roster moves that could shape both competitions. “In the men, I think the big move, and it’s good that we’ve got Sam (Woosnam) here, is Harry Froling making the move to Dandenong,” he said. “That’s a big move.”

He also said Casey could be one of the most interesting teams to track in the women’s competition following the arrival of Dallas Loughridge. “Dallas Loughridge leaves Dandenong, goes to Casey, has an incredible WNBL year, Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year in the WNBL,” Hickey said. “I think she’s someone who Casey can build their team around, hand the keys to the offence and away they go.”

Hickey added that Knox looks well placed to again be one of the teams to beat. “I think Knox in the women’s division have reloaded in a massive way,” he said.

With a new look finals race, major roster changes and several contenders taking different paths into the season, Hickey and Davis made it clear that NBL1 South 2026 may not look anything like 2025. That unpredictability could be exactly what makes it so compelling.

The NBL1 South 2026 season tips off on Friday 27th March 2026. For all the latest updates, including player signings, coaching appointments and league news, make sure you’re following NBL1 South on Facebook and Instagram.