National Finals | Gold Coast with almighty triumph

Featured image: Dan Cowley | @imagesby_dan

Take the three most prolific players out of any team and most struggle, not the Gold Coast Rollers. The NBL1 North champions coached by Anthony Petrie have instead overcome the experienced home town Forestville Eagles for a stunning National Finals triumph.

The stage was set for a fitting finish to the 2026 NBL1 season with Sunday's Championship Game between the Eagles on their home floor at Adelaide's State Basketball Centre against a Gold Coast team coached by a former favourite son of the 36ers.

The teams couldn’t have been more differently matched up either the craft and experience of a Forestville team led by Daniel Johnson, Adam Doyle, Alex Starling and Greg Mays, and who were not only playing in their home town, but on their regular home floor.

Then there were Gold Coast who might have been quite the force to win the NBL1 North championship, but that was with Jensen Bradtke, Jimmy Whitt and Preston Le Gassick as centre pieces of everything they did.

They then arrived in Adelaide with just seven available players, but still won their way into the Championship Game on Sunday and then had to dig even deeper with the decider going to overtime.

Then come the extra period, precocious teenager Ashley McGrath hit the go-ahead shot with 40 seconds to go and the Rollers held on from there despite Forestville veterans Johnson, Doyle and Starling all having chances in the dying stages.

>> NATIONAL FINALS | ROLLERS WILL THEMSELVES INTO DECIDER

>> NATIONAL FINALS | FORESTVILLE SET UP CHANCE AT HOME GLORY

Just because of the circumstances of who Gold Coast were without and how the weekend unfolded where they had to bounce back from losing on the buzzer to Forestville on Friday night to then beat the fresh and closer to full strength Canberra Gunners on Saturday to make it, and then do it in overtime with seven players, it could be the best NBL1 National Finals performance yet.

Gold Coast arrived in Adelaide with key trio Bradtke, Whitt and Le Gassick who are with their NBL teams Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers respectively, and who produced a combined 68.5 points, 20.1 rebounds and 16.1 assists a game in 2026.

But with a team featuring three teenagers and then led by 35-year-old centre TJ Diop who only averaged 9.4 minutes throughout the season, Gold were never deterred and played with a fearless attitude.

Forestville were equally determined to become the first NBL1 Central team to win a National Finals, though, and especially to do so on their home floor so the stage was set for a fitting decider.

Forestville started well to open up an early six-point lead but Gold Coast answered with a 9-0 run and were leading 18-17 by quarter-time with Boston Mazlin already up to seven points.

It remained a tight battle through the second quarter and by half-time scores were locked at 39-39 with both teams struggling to shoot with Forestville going 3/14 from the outside to 2/15 from Gold Coast.

The Rollers were going 9/10 from the free-throw line with Brodie McGregor up to 14 points but the Eagles had 13 points from Greg Mays and 11 from surprise packet James Mackenzie.

The Eagles did pick up some momentum with a nine-point lead in the third quarter and it looked as though the resilience of the Rollers might have been broken, but it wasn’t to be.

They did respond and cut the Gold Coast lead to 53-49 by three quarter-time and then it was quite the grind in the fourth quarter with both teams just about out on their feet.

In the end, it was Ashley McGrath who was huge for Gold Coast with a three-pointer with three minutes to play to level scores, and then he responded to a Daniel Johnson bucket with another with a minute on the clock.

That would be the last score of regulation with scores locked at 63-63 and then neither team scored until McGrath delivered another huge triple after two and-a-half minutes.

Alex Starling answered with a couple of jumpers for the Eagles but then it was McGrath once again who returned Gold Coast to the lead in the last minute.

The Eagles then had a good look with a corner three from Johnson that didn’t fall after a timeout with 14.5 seconds left. Adam Doyle then couldn’t make a tough driving layup, and eventually Mazlin sealed the championship triumph for Gold Coast at the free-line.

Ashley McGrath is just 19 but was named Championship Game MVP for 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. While he went 2/12 from the outside, the two he did make were massive in the final result.

Boston Mazlin led the team strongly all weekend for Gold Coast without their three big guns and delivered another 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds while playing all 45 minutes even if he did go 3/16 from downtown.

Brodie McGregor was huge too with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists with his dad Scott on the coaching staff along with Pero Cameron under Anthony Petrie.

Cooper Urquhart also produced nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Forestville will be frustrated they couldn’t quite celebrate a national championship on their home floor with Greg Mays finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 9/14 shooting.

Fiston Ipassou added 12 points and six rebounds, James Mackenzie 11 points, two boards and two assists, Alex Starling 10 points and eight rebounds, Adam Doyle six points, three boards and two assists, and Daniel Johnson five points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

NBL1 NATIONALS FINALS 2026 | CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 70 (Beggs 17, Rettstatt 14, Zugna 9)

FORESTVILLE EAGLES 67 (McGrath 21, McGregor 18, Mazlin 17)

Championship Game MVP: Ashley McGrath (Gold Coast Rollers)