Rock's offence now catching up to defence

Featured image: Mitchell Barlow

Imogen Rock has always brought outstanding defence and hustle on any of her teams but her offensive game is catching up after two years in WNBL with Southside Melbourne Flyers, and it's translating to career best NBL1 South form with Dandenong Rangers.

Rock might still be only 22 years of age, but has plenty of experience under her belt having started playing in the NBL1 all the way back in 2021 when she was still just 17 years of age.

Already the energy she played with, the way she would hustle and fight for every loose ball and rebound, and do all the team things made her a crucial member of her teams whether the Diamond Valley Eagles to start with, Mount Gambier Pioneers in 2023 or now for a third season the Rangers.

She's continuing to expand her offensive game as well and right now has started this 2026 season with Dandenong in the best form of her career.

>> SOUTH WRAP | WOMEN'S ANZAC ROUND

Rock is now delivering 15.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals across the opening six matches of the NBL1 South season while playing 31.7 minutes and shooting at 43 per cent from the field and with her three-point percentage on the rise to above 35.

That included a monster performance in Dandenong's lone win of the season to date against the Bendigo Braves where she had what could have been the night of her career so far with 22 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

The role that Rock is currently playing on the Rangers and the way she's delivering on the back of that at the offensive end is something she's always felt capable of.

"I think I’ve always felt capable of having this kind of impact, but my role has definitely changed this season," Rock said.

"I’ve been given more responsibility and a leadership opportunity, which has allowed me to showcase my game a bit more.

"I’m feeling confident and trusting the work I’ve put in, but my focus is still on contributing to the team and leading in the right way."

Offensive game catching up to defence

One thing that Rock has never had any trouble doing since she was playing basketball from a young age was being a player that provides brilliant energy, hustle and defence.

The energy she provides is unmatched and she continues to prove herself a standout defender able to cover players in multiple positions and she feels that's always come quite naturally to her.

The part of her game she's had to continue to work on developing is being able to handle the ball, create off the dribble and her shooting, like any player, is a constant work in progress.

But she's proud to be seeing the hard work beginning to pay off.

"Defence is the easy part for me, it’s all about hard work and mindset," Rock said.

"I’ve always prided myself on that side of the game, and it’s never really been something I’ve had to switch on. Offensively is where I’m continuing to grow.

"I’ve always been more than capable at that end, but my role has changed this season, which has given me more opportunity to show I can impact the game at both ends of the floor.

"I’ve also got people around me who give me the confidence and green light to play freely, and that’s where I feel I thrive and play my best."

Confidence from WNBL opportunities

While Rock has only been on a WNBL court a total of 79 minutes over the past two seasons with the Flyers, just being part of the team, in that environment and training full-time with them has been huge in her development.

Rock has no doubt that being able to live that life as a professional basketballer is a big reason why her game continues to go from strength to strength.

"It’s been huge for my development," Rock said.

"Being around that level of professionalism every day, learning from experienced players, and seeing what it takes to compete at the top level has really pushed me.

"It’s definitely helped raise my standards and given me more confidence bringing that back into my game here."

Rangers start to the season

Even with Rock playing some of the best basketball of her career coming off the WNBL season with the Flyers, the Rangers did lose their first four games in the NBL1 South before breaking through against the Bendigo Braves.

They weren’t quite able to back that up last Friday night with a loss to the Frankston Blues to now sit on a 1-5 record, but Rock has full faith things will start to click for Dandenong.

"It probably hasn’t been the start we were hoping for," Rock said.

"We’ve had a few injuries and a bit of inconsistency with players coming in and out, which has made it tough to build continuity early on. But I think the positive is that the group’s stayed resilient and stuck together.

"We’re learning a lot about each other, and you can feel things starting to come together. That first win was a good step in the right direction for us."

Big double this weekend

While it might not have been the start to the season that the Rangers were hoping for, with how tight the NBL1 South is, Rock is fully aware that they aren’t out of the hunt if they can start stringing some wins together.

The first chance for that presents with a double-header this weekend as they host the Ringwood Hawks on Saturday night and then back up on Sunday against the Waverley Falcons.

"The league is really competitive this year, so every game matters," Rock said.

"A strong weekend can shift your position pretty quickly, so we’re treating both games as really important opportunities.

"The focus for us is just staying consistent with what we’ve been working on and executing over four quarters."

Feeling at home at Dandenong

Having started her NBL1 South career back with the Diamond Valley Eagles and then spending a season with the Mount Gambier Pioneers, Rock is now embracing the home she's building with the Rangers.

The 2026 season is her third at Dandenong and she couldn’t imagine being part of a better or organisation or having better teammates around her to share it with.

"Yeah, it definitely feels like home now," Rock said.

"I love the girls we’ve built some really strong relationships over the past few seasons, and that makes coming in every day really enjoyable.

"The club has been great to me, and there’s a strong, supportive culture here, which makes it a really good environment to be part of and keep growing in."

Bigger goals for the future

Now that Rock has had two WNBL seasons as a development player with the Flyers and has continued to grow her game at NBL1 level in between, she hopes that more opportunities will open up for her.

The obvious goal would be to work up to having a full WNBL contract for the upcoming 2026/27 season, but Rock knows that's out of her control and all she's focused on is continuing to put in the work to keep producing, and improving, and the rest will take care of itself.

"I think like any player, you want to keep progressing and testing yourself at higher levels," Rock said.

"A full WNBL opportunity is definitely something I’m working towards, but for now my focus is on continuing to improve, being consistent, and helping my team succeed. If I take care of that, the opportunities will come."