Australia's best use NBL1 South as platform to glory

• The NBL1 South grand finals will be played at the State Basketball Centre on August 16 from 4.30pm
• In the women's decider, the undefeated Geelong United will take on the Knox Raiders
• The Sandringham Sabres and Melbourne Tigers will face-off in the men's final
• How to watch every NBL1 game LIVE and FREE

The 2025 NBL1 South grand finals are almost here and the four teams battling it out for glory have been powered by players taking full advantage of their WNBL and NBL off-seasons.

Everywhere you look, there is incredible talent across the league, which makes playing in the NBL1 such a great development tool - whether that is for seasoned veterans, those looking to take their game to the next level or rising stars coming up the ranks getting their first taste of semi-professional basketball.

Geelong United and the Knox Raiders will go head-to-head in the women’s grand final and both are in supreme form, with Geelong having not lost a single game all season (24-0), while Knox have only lost three times and are currently on a 15-game winning streak.

Geelong have clearly been the best team all season and the way they’ve kept a number of the inaugural Geelong United (now Geelong Venom) WNBL rostered players in town for the NBL1 season speaks volumes on their connection and dedication to the program. Jaz Shelley has been phenomenal for United, averaging 20.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

Building on her rookie WNBL season, Shelley has taken the next step this NBL1 season and alongside Gemma Potter, they will both return to Geelong for the upcoming WNBL season better players. Potter’s versatility is invaluable to Geelong; she can score in a variety of ways and also plays lockdown defence on the other end.

Further to those two stars, Taylor Mole and Lilly Rotunno are keys to United’s NBL1 championship push and will also join Shelley and Potter at the Venom. The depth within the Geelong squad is what has seen them go through undefeated and there is just one final hurdle in their way.

Knox has put together a star-studded roster, boasting a handful of players with WNBL experience. Alicia Froling’s rise to becoming one of the best bigs in the country has been a joy to watch, especially considering the injury setbacks she has had to overcome throughout the years.

Averaging 19 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, she’s been relentless on both ends and her expanded scoring role will see her return to the Townsville Fire for the WNBL season with more weapons in her arsenal.

Agnes Emma-Nnopu joined the Raiders mid-season and has been a vital piece of their puzzle as they’ve taken on all before them in the second half of the season. She’s a workhorse, who will play whatever role is asked of her, averaging 8.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Playing in the NBL1 has given Emma-Nnopu the perfect re-introduction to Australian basketball as she prepares for her first WNBL season with the Sydney Flames after spending the past five years in the USA college system.

The Knox squad features many players WNBL fans will recognise, with former Opal Kristy Wallace – who has signed with the Tokomana Quuens in New Zealand for the upcoming season, while Kiera Glover (nee Rowe), Paige Bradley and Paige Burrows have all played WNBL in previous seasons.

Unlike in the women’s competition, the two top teams failed to qualify for the grand final in the men’s, with the Sandringham Sabres (5th) and Melbourne Tigers (6th) peaking at the right time to book their place in the final game of the season.

There has to be a story in the fact that there is a strong Melbourne United contingent on the Sandringham Sabres squad that is looking to get in the way of the Melbourne Tigers being crowned NBL1 South men’s champions. As we all know, the Tigers of the NBL rebranded to United in 2014, and now four United players (and an assistant coach) are on the Sabres roster who will compete against the Tigers on Saturday night.

Sandringham boasts five NBL talents, including United's Fabijan Krslovic, Malith Machar, Next Star Dash Daniels (missing due to the FIBA Asia Cup), development player Tom Koppens and United assistant coach David Barlow. The other is Ben Ayre, who has signed with the Tasmania JackJumpers and has been on an absolute tear since joining the Sabres in June.

He has scored more than 20 points in 11 of 14 games, highlighted by a 40-point outing against Dandenong in late June and will head into the grand final having led Sandringham to the big dance with a super-efficient 38-point (11-from-18 from the field), five-rebound and five-assist masterclass against top-placed Mount Gambier in the preliminary final.

Ayre is the league’s leading scorer (27.3 points per game) and facilitator (6.4 assists per game), and he will head to Tasmania with a new level of confidence, ready to make an impact in the NBL.

Much like Ayre, Machar will head into the NBL season full of self-belief, having put together an impressive season for Sandringham. Having played in all 25 games, Machar is averaging 20.8 points and has established himself as one of the premier long-range threats in the NBL1, shooting a very healthy 41% from deep on more than six attempts per game.

While Dash Daniels won’t be there for the grand final, the NBL1 has been a great stepping stone in the lead-up to his first season of NBL with United. He has only played eight games, but the flashes have been there and he’s only going to get better each time he steps on the court.

The storylines in the Melbourne Tigers squad are what basketball is all about. Their big three of Harry Froling, Jack Purchase and Tom Wilson have all signed 2025-26 NBL contracts after being out of the league in previous years.

For Froling, his comeback has just continued to get more and more remarkable. The victim of a brutal one-punch attack in early 2023 which him left with life-threatening bleeding on the brain, Froling has returned to the game and will join the defending champion Illawarra Hawks as an injury replacement player for his brother, Sam.

He has been a beast in the paint all season long, averaging 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and hit the game-winning shot as Melbourne came from 15 points down in the last quarter to defeat Kilsyth 84-83 in the semi-final.

Melbourne’s run to the grand final has been made possible by their ability to carve out close wins. Their win over Kilsyth was extraordinary and a week later they followed that up by coming from 10 points down in the last quarter to stun Knox as Jack Purchase hit the game-winning triple. Wilson had kept them in it all game with one of the best performances of the season, finishing with 42 points (8-from-11 from three), six assists and four rebounds.

Both Wilson and Purchase will return to the NBL after several years away. Wilson last played in the NBL in 2019 as a member of the Sydney Kings and since then played for the Collingwood Magpies in the AFL from 2019-2023. Later this year, he’ll be back in the NBL with Melbourne and the player he has become could see him provide a valuable contribution to United.

Purchase last played in the NBL for Perth in 2021-22 and has since been grinding to get back in the league. That hard work was rewarded last week when he was announced as Brisbane’s final signing for the upcoming season. Shooting an otherworldly 43.5% from deep on just under nine attempts per game, Purchase’s game has evolved since his previous stints in the NBL, which also included time at United and the 36ers.

While the players of the four squads will only have a championship on their minds come Saturday, there’s no doubt whether their respective seasons end in a win or a loss, many teams across the WNBL and NBL will have players returning to their leagues better than they left after a season of NBL1.

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.