Hickey and Davis say NBL1 South 2026 is shaping as one of the most intriguing seasons yet

Matt Hickey and Beth Davis believe NBL1 South 2026 is set to deliver one of the competition’s most fascinating seasons yet, with major player movement, changing team identities and a new finals format all adding to the intrigue.

Speaking at the NBL1 South 2026 Season Launch at Hoop City in Port Melbourne, Hickey said one of the biggest storylines will be how teams settle through the opening rounds 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 also have a major impact on the shape of 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.”

He also pointed to the new Court Walk activation as another sign of the league’s continued growth off the floor.

“I love the court walk too,” Hickey said.

“I’m a big F1 fan, so it’s giving me grid walk, Martin Brundle vibes as well.”

Davis said one of the most compelling storylines of the new season is how clubs respond after significant roster turnover across the competition.

“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,” Davis 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 said that trend is not isolated to Geelong, with movement across the league set to reshape the race to finals.

“As we’re going to talk about a little bit later, 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,” she 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.”

Hickey said a number of major off season moves have already created strong talking points in both competitions.

“The MVP departs, how that Geelong team looks is fascinating,” he said.

“I think Knox in the women’s division have reloaded in a massive way.”

Hickey also highlighted Harry Froling’s move to Dandenong as one of the biggest storylines in the men’s competition.

“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.”

On the women’s side, Hickey said Dallas Loughridge could have a major impact at Casey.

“Dallas Loughridge leaves Dandenong, goes to Casey, has an incredible WNBL year, Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year in the WNBL,” he said.

“I think she’s someone who Casey can build their team around, hand the keys to the offence and away they go.”

Davis also pointed to several clubs she expects to be among the most interesting to watch in 2026.

“I think again on the women’s side, Steph Reid moving from Diamond Valley to Sandringham is a big move as well,” she said.

“But I think for me in the men’s competition, Melbourne Tigers are building a really strong roster.

“They’ve also picked up George Blagojevic from Geelong as well, so I think that loss last year to Sandringham in the grand final has really fired up the Melbourne Tigers, and I think they’ll definitely be one to watch in the men’s competition.”

Hickey said the league’s growth continues to be visible both on and off the floor.

“I think the league does that brilliantly,” he said.

“The NBL1 South, the NBL1 East as well, are taking really big steps, I think, in their social media where perhaps, you know, I think they’re growing slowly on court, but I think their off court is really firing up.

“And I think the NBL1 South has it in both avenues.”

With a new finals structure, major roster changes and no shortage of contenders across both conferences, Hickey and Davis made it clear the 2026 season is shaping as one full of unknowns….That may 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.