On the path to the National Finals

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It's now past the midway point of the NBL1 season with the race to the playoffs in each conference on in earnest and now with the National Finals confirmed for Adelaide in 2026, teams and players around the country know where they are trying to get to.

Having been hosted in Melbourne, Perth, the Sunshine Coast and Canberra over the past four years, it's time for the National Finals to come to Adelaide in 2026 and now the teams and players in each conference are all locked in the battle to be there.

The Canberra Gunners men and Knox Raiders women are the two teams already locked in to be there as the defending National Champions, but now the rest of the field will be determined over the next two months.

>> 2026 MITSUBISHI MOTORS NBL1 NATIONAL FINALS SET TO LAND IN ADELAIDE

THE STANDOUT TEAMS SO FAR

Across the NBL1, there remains two undefeated teams in the run home towards the playoffs and that's the 15-0 North Bears in the East and the 11-0 Cairns Marlins of the North.

But as last year taught us, being undefeated the longer you get into the season guarantees nothing. In 2025 the Cockburn Cougars out West were able to complete an undefeated season for their championship, but Geelong United fell short in their Grand Final after not losing up to that point.

In the NBL1 South, the women's defending champion Knox Raiders who also won last year's National Championship in Canberra are right back in the hunt again having now won eight straight matches to be sitting second at 13-4.

They are just behind the Sandringham Sabres who are 13-3 but things are remarkably tight with the Eltham Wildcats not far behind at 12-4, the Casey Cavaliers 12-5, Keilor Thunder 12-6, Mount Gambier Pioneers 10-6, Diamond Valley Eagles 10-7 and Ballarat Miners 10-8.

Then in the men's competition, things are equally congested in the top 10 with the Melbourne Tigers showing the way at 13-4 having won three straight to be just ahead of the Eltham Wildcats (12-4), Nunawading Spectres (12-5) and Knox Raiders (12-5).

The Frankston Blues are then the form team right now having won five straight to be 11-5 and to be just ahead of the 11-7 Keilor Thunder, 10-7 Casey Cavaliers, 8-7 Kilsyth Cobras and 9-8 Dandenong Rangers while the defending champion Sandringham Sabres are 8-8 in 10th.

Then in the East, the defending champion women Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are second at 14-1 having now won seven in-a-row, but the Norths Bears are unbeaten at 15-0 and then the Bankstown Bruins are 12-2 and yet to lose either this season or last with Shyla Heal out there.

The Centre of Excellence have finished their regular season already at 15-5 with the Newcastle Falcons (9-5), Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders (9-6), Albury Wodonga Bandits (8-7) and Maitland Mustangs (7-8) rounding out the playoff positions.

And with the East men, the Norths Bears also are out on top at 13-2 but things are tight between them and last year's Grand Finalists the Illawarra Hawks (12-2) and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (12-3).

The Centre of Excellence have finished at 13-7 with the defending champion Canberra Gunners (10-6) having now lost six of the last eight. The Central Coast Crusaders are then a team to watch at 9-7 having won six in-a-row.

In the NBL1 North, the Cairns Dolphins just suffered a first loss last Friday night but remain on top of the women's standings at 10-1 just ahead of the 9-1 Logan Thunder.

Then there is the Mackay Meteorettes (8-3), Southern Districts Spartans (9-4), Northside Wizards (7-4) and Townsville Flames (7-4).

In the North men's competition, that's where the Cairns Marlins are out on top with the 11 straight wins but the Gold Coast Rollers are second at 9-2 while putting up over 111 points a game so far.

The Sunshine Coast Phoenix (8-3) are third ahead of Logan Thunder (7-3), Ipswich Force (6-5) and Mackay Meteors (6-5). Then there's the South West Metro Pirates who are 4-8 but have now won four straight with Adelaide 36ers NBL star Flynn Cameron in the line-up.

And in the NBL1 West, the battle at the top of the women's competition is fascinating with the Cockburn Cougars still on top at 12-2 after last year's undefeated season but the Rockingham Flames (11-4), Warwick Senators (11-4) and East Perth Eagles (11-4) are hot on their heels.

The Mandurah Magic (9-5) and Goldfields Giants (8-6) aren’t far behind and then the Perth Redbacks (6-8), Lakeside Lightning (6-9), Perry Lakes Hawks (5-9) and Joondalup Wolves (5-10) are battling over the last two spots.

In the West men, the Rockingham Flames are the standout team right now having won 10 straight with Isaac White, Blake Jones and Michael Harris showing the way.

The defending champion Geraldton Buccaneers (11-3) are second with the Joondalup Wolves (12-4), Kalamunda Eastern Suns (11-5), Cockburn Cougars (10-5), Willetton Tigers (9-6) and Perry Lakes Hawks (8-7) all having shown signs they can contend.

Finally in the Central, even having just suffered a first loss last Saturday, the West Adelaide Bearcats sit on top of the women's competition at 13-1 just ahead of the Sturt Sabres (11-3), Norwood Flames (9-5) and Forestville Eagles (8-6).

Then in the men, precious little separates the top three with the Forestville Eagles currently on top at 12-2 just ahead of the South Adelaide Panthers (11-3) and Sturt Sabres (11-3) both coming off losses last Saturday night.

 THE PLAYERS GRABBING THE SPOTLIGHT

Starting with the NBL1 South, there will be a new women's MVP either way with Jaz Shelley having moved on and with Keely Froling delivering 26.4 points and 11.5 rebounds, she might very well be leading the charge.

Dallas Loughridge has just committed to Michigan and is delivering 25.5 points for the Casey Cavaliers with 5.1 assists too on 45 per cent three-point shooting.

Abbey Ellis has also been outstanding with the Diamond Valley Eagles, so has Olivia Pollerd for the regularly shorthanded Bendigo Braves and you can't go past what Maddy Rocci is again doing with the Keilor Thunder with 22.1 points, 8.3 assists and 7.5 rebounds.

Steph Reid is leading the way for the league-leading Sandringham Sabres too while Shuyu Yang had an immediate impact with the Melbourne Tigers and over 11 games, has had 19.6 points and 5.1 assists while proving a monster crowd puller.

Then in South men, Harry Froling had a hot start to joining the Dandenong Rangers and is still producing 24.1 points and 7.5 rebounds while reigning MVP and his former Tigers teammate Tom Wilson is warming nicely up to 21.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

Biwali Bayles was another to start on fire at the Bendigo Braves and is still putting up 21.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds while Hobart Chargers pair Jacob Richards (25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and Luke Rosendale (24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1) have been impressive.

Also in Tasmania, Kye Savage has put himself back in the hunt for an NBL opportunity with 24.9 points and nearly four three-pointers a game with the Northern Force.

Trazarien White is also in the MVP discussion for his 25.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists with the Knox Raiders while by the end of the season, Jeremy Combs could be one of the biggest late signings having already had 18.7 points and 6.3 boards in three appearances with the Frankston Blues.

Mirko Djeric is also providing 8.8 assists along with 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with the Diamond Valley Eagles.

Then in the North, coming off being the Grand Final MVP in the WNBL, Courtney Woods might be on track for the MVP with the Townsville Flames with her 27.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.4 assists so far.

She has plenty of competition, though, including from Erin Bollmann who has been outstanding with the Sunshine Coast Phoenix and delivering 21.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists.

Georgia Woolley is also putting up 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.4 steals with the North Gold Coast Seahawks, Alyssa Brown 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 steals with the Brisbane Capitals, and Leah Scott 21.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Logan Thunder.

Cairns Dolphins are on top of the table with Mia Loyd delivering 21.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists while Monique Bobongie is having 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists with the Mackay Meteorettes, Nes'eya Parker-Williams 18.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists with the Northside Wizards, and River Baldwin 17.7 points, 8.6 rebound and 2.1 assists also at Mackay.

Things are then fascinating in the men, with Kody Stattmann delivering 28.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Cairns Marlins while James Whitt is showing the way for the Gold Coast Rollers with 26.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists with Preston Le Gassick contributing 22.9 points and 9.3 assists.

Quintin Dove is putting up 29.6 points and 4.7 rebounds with the Northside Wizards, Tamuri Wigness 28.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists with the defending champion Southern Districts Spartans, and Lachlan Anderson 22.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists with Ipswich.

Then at Logan Thunder, Shaun Bruce (20.7 points, 12.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds), Zac Triplett (19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists) and Cal Dalton (19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists) have all been standouts.

Jarred Bairstow has also been tremendous with the Brisbane Capitals delivering 17.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

And in the East, it's hard to imagine Jaz Shelley isn’t on track to win another MVP award after winning it in the South last year with Geelong. She has joined the Norths Bears and with them unbeaten, she's putting up 25.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 4.5 steals with 46 per cent three-point shooting.

Shyla Heal might be her biggest competition with the Bankstown Bruins unbeaten too in her 10 games where she is producing 23.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds.

Seehia Ridard is putting up 25.5 points and 5.3 rebounds with the Inner West Bulls, her teammate Taylah Levy 24.5 points, 6.1 rebound and 4.4 assists, Emily Lytle 22.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists with the Albury Wodonga Bandits, and three-time MVP Nicole Munger another 21.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists with the Newcastle Falcons.

Caitie Jones (20.8 points, 7.87 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.9 steals) and Lauren Nicholson (21.3 points, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds) might have only played nine and eight games respectively, but have been outstanding for the Canberra Nationals and Sutherland Sharks.

With the men, reigning MVP and 473-game NBL veteran Todd Blanchfield is putting up another 25.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists with his Illawarra Hawks teammate Matt Mims also providing 20.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

Quinn Slazinski has been outstanding in his first season at the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with 24.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while Reyne Smith is giving 21.6 points with 36 per cent three-point shooting on over 10 attempts a game with the Maitland Mustangs.

Jai Fa'ale was outstanding for the Centre of Excellence with 20.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists with Malok Majak putting up 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Inner West Bulls, and Garric Young 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds with the surging Central Coast Crusaders.

Over in the Central where the teams that qualify will get to remain home, Morgan Yaeger has been outstanding with the top-of-the-table West Adelaide Bearcats putting up 20.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals.

Sam Simons is leading the way for the Forestville Eagles with 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists with Lealani Falatea producing 19.1 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Woodville Warriors, and Mollie McKendrick 17.7 points. 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.8 assists.

Tiahna Sears is also having 18.2 points and 12.3 rebounds for the Central Districts Lions, Holly Forbes 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.2 assists for the Southern Tigers, Tayla Brazel 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the Sturt Sabres, and Maddy Hinton 15.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Norwood Flames.

Then there's both Chloe (15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.5 steals) and Coco Hodges (14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.2 steals) with the Bearcats.

Jeremy Smith might well be on track for another men's MVP award with 25.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists at the South Adelaide Panthers, but he has plenty of competition at the same time.

His teammate Lloyd McVeigh is delivering 23.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while Thomas Kurowski is having a standout rookie season with the Norwood Flames putting up 21.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.4 assists.

Jacob Rigoni is showing the way with the Sturt Sabres with 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while Eastern Mavericks pair Christian Peevy (21.7 points, 5.6 rebounds) and BJ Symons (20.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) are standing out.

Then at the Forestville Eagles, Jordan Forbes is producing 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists with Greg Mays adding 20.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.

And finally in the West, starting with the men and you can't go past 17-year-old teen sensation Marley Sam for what he is doing with the Eastern Suns. Coming off 40 points last Friday night, the pocket dynamo is delivering 22.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals as the starting point guard.

Jack Browder has then had an immediate impact with the Perry Lakes Hawks hitting the game winner on debut and now the leading scorer with 31.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists with teammate Cam Huefner providing 27.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Also fresh out of college, Will Tschetter is having 29.0 points and 7.5 boards with the Warwick Senators.

Johny Narkle has settled nicely at the Cockburn Cougars and coming off 47 points on Saturday night, is delivering 27.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while Michael Christmas, Sean Conway, and Michael Imariagbe are also impressing.

But in terms of MVP talk, when you win it the previous year someone has to take it off you and Isaac White has done nothing to deserve that leading the charge for the top-of-the-table Rockingham Flames with another 27.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 41 per cent shooting from deep.

Then in the West women, Sierra Moore might be the leading MVP candidate with what she's providing the Goldfields Giants with 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.2 steals. But she did injure her ankle back on Sunday in Mandurah.

Sara Puckett has been outstanding too with the Rockingham Flames providing 21.3 points and 6.4 rebounds with teammate and reigning MVP Teige Morrell having another 18.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Sam Ashby is having a breakout season with the Perth Redbacks putting up 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists while Jessie Edwards is in the form of her life at the Cockburn Cougars with 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds.

Stacey Barr (20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists) and Sarah Mortensen (18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists) are leading the charge for the East Perth Eagles as are Chloe Forster (19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists) and Jayda Clark (16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists) with the Warwick Senators.

In six games, Makenna Marisa also has had an immediate impact at the Perry Lakes Hawks with 28.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists including 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists last Friday night.