Camberwell Dragons coaches look back on our teams’ performances at the 2026 Eltham Dandenong Tournament.
12.1 GIRLS
The 12.1 Girls wre excited to get back on court after the long break and had a fantastic tournament. They faced a very tough pool, which led to a few early losses, but once the girls found their rhythm and began playing cohesively as a team, they secured some well-earned wins.
In a short space of time, the group showed huge improvement and growth, finishing the tournament with a place in the A2 semi-finals. This was an incredible experience for the girls, who stayed composed under enormous pressure and learned how to handle tight, high-intensity moments.
The semi-final was an unforgettable game, going all the way into triple overtime – a true display of resilience, teamwork and determination.
Thank you to all the families for giving up their weekend to basketball. We cannot wait to get the season started with this talented group of girls.” – Prue, 12.1 Girls.
12.2 GIRLS
The 12.2 girls had a great start to the tournament with a 30-point win against Bulleen 2.
The next day we played Hawthorn 1 in a tough game and lost by three, and then beat Darebin by two.
On Sunday we beat Diamond Valley 2 by 11 points and lost to Craigieburn 1 by nine, leaving us third on the ladder going into finals.
After an extremely close back-and-forth game with Darebin in the semi-finals we won by six to move into the grand finals against Hawthorn 1.
After a rough first half, we were down 18-9 at half-time. The girls left everything on the court with a massive second half, outscoring Hawthorn 25-10 to leave us as the B1 premier at the end of an amazing tournament.
The girls played extremely well the entire weekend and really came together as a team. They took on our feedback after each game, came ready to play and gave us all that they had. We couldn’t be prouder of how much they improved during this tournament!
12.5 GIRLS
The 12.5 Girls team entered its first tournament of the year with high expectations. Good performances throughout grading and strong training form generated high hopes for the group.
The improvement was obvious after game 1 on Friday night, with a comfortable win over grading rival Ringwood. Terrific defence across the line-up and great spacing led to a comfortable win.
Saturday saw the girls split their results, against Whittlesea (W) and Eltham (L). The games were decided close to the basket, with paint points a premium. These two teams would figure prominently come finals day on Monday.
Our Sunday slate saw strong wins against Darebin and Diamond Valley, who had previously beaten us in our cross-over fixture pre-Christmas. This ensured a 4-1 record and second position in our pool.
Our girls were primed for the Eltham re-match and battled the heat for a six-point semi-final win, securing a grand final rematch against Whittlesea.
In typical gritty style, the grand final was a battle of attrition, with the seventh game of the weekend proving to be a classic. Foul shooting was a premium and we performed terrifically, but just came up short, 24-19 in the decider. All the girls played terrific and thoroughly enjoyed their first taste of tournament basketball for 2026. Bring on Adelaide! – Coach Mike Davey.
12.6 GIRLS
The 12.6 Girls are a very capable and confident group and train alongside the 12.5 Girls, with both groups getting a balance of skills and style of play training.
We dropped in grading in Round 1 with injuries to our bigs. In that phase our guards demonstrated how effective they are even without the tall rebounders. We played with two out and one nursing a strained leg that caught up with her in the seventh game. In early games the team number of the opposition mattered. It doesn’t now.
Getting our fast guards way out of the key allowed one to be MVP. We used our sideline inbound play a little more effectively. While we constantly forgot to set our baseline play, one player did remember the hottest spot on the court and was able to still get her open shots and peaked at 12 points in one of the games.
With our biggest player back and running the court more as a two at times, having her back was highly important and the dominance on the rebounding was significant.
When trailing early in the grand final, the confidence remained. They played a great tournament and will now start to get two players best described as fours back into the team this week and over the next two weeks.
12.7 GIRLS
Our tournament started with the girls playing against Camberwell 12.6.
The game was competitive. First half it was clear the girls had been placed in a higher division than grading and were now playing against some taller top-age girls (70 per cent of our team is double-bottom age). They were tentative around the loose ball at times, which led to a 14-2 lead to the 6s at half-time.
Second half the girls got used to the level and increased pressure and ended the second half (second half score 8-6) which was a great effort.
Girls came out in remaining games (against Darebin 3, Craigieburn 3, Waverley 5, Coburg 4) and played extremely well. High pressure and started moving the ball up the court faster with passing and took some large leaps forward in development and spacing on the court. Losing two games by two points and winning the last game of the tournament by three points, which was great for confidence (Waverley beat us comfortably in the other).
In all games really the players that had success against us were top-age tall players, which with the height difference and the age gap in strength etc. wasn’t a surprise. Although the effort was fantastic and the ability for some of our smaller girls to stand in front of girls twice their size in height and weight and attempt to stop / block them was a credit to them.
Overall really happy with the tournament and the girls had a great experience, lots of fun and definitely grew as a team and individually, and proved they can really mix it at the level up which we were all really proud of.
12.8 GIRLS
The 12.8 Girls came into the tournament fairly low on confidence and not yet coming together as a team.
There was a lot of one-on-one play and the defensive pressure and intensity wasn’t where we would like it to be.
From a coaching standpoint, I set two priorities for the entire tournament – defence and passing. To their credit the girls embraced this from the outset and demonstrated significant positive strides in their first game against Diamond Valley where they managed to scratch out a one-point victory – their first-ever win as a team.
This was a significant boost to their confidence and set them up for the rest of the tournament. With each game thereafter we made improvements in our play, regardless of whether this was shown on the scoreboard.
On Saturday we lost both games to much bigger and older sides, however our play steadily improved. The piece de resistance came on Sunday morning where we came out winners against a super-intense Spectres 12.7 team with another one-point victory.
This win saw us guaranteed a spot in the semis, which was something we never imagined happening coming into the tournament. We carried this momentum into our final game against the side to beat, Spectres 12.8, and kept them to their fewest points. We were down one with a few minutes to go and ended up losing 15-11.
This gave us strong belief coming into the semi rematch against them on Monday, but they lifted their play and well and truly beat us. Overall, Eltham Dandenong was a roaring success for the 12.8 Girls who exited the tournament having come together as a team with a strong foundation for the rest of the season.
14.2 GIRLS
The 14.2 girls had a tough tournament, meeting a few old foes from previous games, as well as match ups from the upcoming grading phase. A strong 35-point win over Magic 1 was a highlight to start the tournament. Tough match-ups followed against Wyndham, Darebin, Melbourne and Keilor, with all of them hard-fought losses. All in all, a great weekend to blow out the cobwebs.
14.6 GIRLS
The 14.6 Girls began the tournament with the goal of being ready for the start of Grading Phase 2. We had a number of offensive and defensive things we wanted to implement and/or hone, and our draw looked strong with us being one of the lower-ranked teams.
The girls took on the challenge with intensity and we honed some half-court defensive principles and introduced some more free-flowing offensive structures to take advantage of our fitness and aggressive style. The girls played amazingly, winning three of five pool games, with their losses being by one point to Nunawading 4 and by eight to Darebin 3.
Come finals, we cleaned up Hawthorn 14.4 again by 15 points to make the grand final.
Darebin was going to be tough in the grand final but the girls took it up to them, refined our press breaker, and twice brought the game level. Darebin drew away in the last minutes for a five-point win. The girls should be very proud of their weekend.
16.2 GIRLS
The 16.2 Girls went into the tournament still putting offensive and defensive structures together, as players had been away or injured.
The girls had a rough loss in the first game, and this took a jab at both individual and team confidence. In the following games, however, the girls stepped up and with a focus on reinforcing our defensive rules and creating offensive opportunities through ball movement, the girls bounced back stronger.
It was great to see all the girls getting involved offensively by starting to look for one another to make smart and advantageous passes. With this, we were able to win the next four games and landed second on the ladder, securing ourselves a spot in the semis against Bulleen.
With an early morning wake up, the game tipped off and by the end of the first half it was neck and neck at 17-15 to us. Unfortunately, however, we couldn’t hold on, and the game ended in a nail-biter, 39-35 to Bulleen. Throughout the game, the girls played some great basketball, but some lapses in offensive and defensive judgement unfortunately made the difference. The tournament was lots of fun for the girls and a fantastic learning opportunity.
16.3 GIRLS
The 16.3 girls (pictured) had a great weekend despite losing the grand final, the only game of the seven we played all weekend that we didn’t win.
In a division where it looked like we might scrape into the top four at best, the girls won all five pool games and then came back from 19 points down to Waverley 2 in a semi-final to win by one point inside the final 10 seconds.
Ran out of gas in the grand final v Bulleen 3 to lose by six points, but the effort, teamwork and camaraderie was good all weekend, and they played some really promising basketball at times that should hold us in good stead through the rest of grading.
16.5 GIRLS
The girls came into the tournament fresh and eager to start the year well.
We had a defence theme for the tournament and the girls performed very well keeping to the defensive structures and improving each game.
We did struggle with consistency with our shooting ,which eventually resulted in our loss in the semi-final. Overall, it was a great weekend for the girls and we are looking forward to the next phase of grading and the 2026 season.
12.1 BOYS
The 12.1 Boys had an unfortunate tournament in regard to results, but got to work on and improve on particular areas of our game that will help us in the future.
12.2 BOYS
Under 12.2s did not make finals.
We were incredibly competitive in every game and finished with a final 2-3 win-loss record and no blowouts. We played a combination of 1s and strong 2s teams but none of them were superior to us and only lapses of concentration and focus cost us more wins.
Unfortunately, our coach Caleb was unavailable most of the weekend, which had an impact because our best win against Eltham 2 (which made finals) was under his guidance.
Things to work on include composure, ball management and control – all under pressure.
The positives: We did not show all our plays. We were never out of any game. Terrific team work and spirit. Prepared to listen and learn and a deep bench with all players contributing.
Lots of good takeaways and positives as we go into crossovers/qualifiers. Watch out for this team. They are going to have an impact
Well done to all.
12.3 BOYS
After a poor first round of grading the boys were looking to bounce back, and did.
Starting with a win on Friday night against Bulleen, before another two wins on Saturday, against Nunawading and Waverley. The Waverley game featuring one of the best comebacks I’ve personally witnessed.
The boys carried their momentum into Sunday, picking up two more wins against Kilsyth and Diamond Valley to finish 5-0 in pool play and lock up first place.
Unfortunately, the boys couldn’t get it done in the semi-final against Kilsyth, with the game delayed halfway through due to a reported fire in the stadium. The boys fought hard, but it wasn’t their day and they went down by three points.
Massive improvements across the weekend and with two of our three grading games against teams we played in the tournament, the boys can take plenty of confidence into the season.
12.4 BOYS
The 12.4s won the grand final.
Game 1 d. Swisher Academy, 80-11.
Game 2 d. Waverley 12.4, 41-38 –Strong start. Good boxing out against bigger size. When offensive structure set up, got good looks. Gave away the lead trying to rush solo offence, not setting up press break. Got the lead and held on for the win.
Game 3 d. Kilsyth 12.5, 54-53 – Good press break. Poor rebounding. Exhaustion showing with finishing. Worked hard to end, scoring the last six points of the match to win by one.
Game 4 drew with Ringwood 12.4, 29-29 – Lacked intensity, got down 12-4 early. Too many O boards. Poor shot selection. Didn’t finish open shots. Too slow on second pass during press break.
Game 5 d. Ringwood 12.3, 54-39 – Players that got court time worked hard. Good defensive pressure, good ball movement, shot selection and finishing. Press break second pass was good, as was pass and cut. Still too many offensive rebounds.
Semi-Final d. Waverley 12.4, 51-50 – Great game from the boys for the most part. Gave up a 10-plus point lead (again) trying to rush offence. Other team hit seven threes, some of which were well contested. When not rushing, offence was set up well but fatigue showed and less player movement.
Grand Final d. Kilsyth 12.5, 53-34 – Boys did everything right, got out to early lead and managed to hold it throughout the game. The defensive effort was massive. Kept the tournament’s third-highest scorer to six points. Offence was spaced and patient, allowing for open drives and shots for multiple players. Much better rebounding.
12.6 BOYS
The boys entered the tournament after multiple holiday training sessions with me and a gutsy crossover win. It was their second tournament, having lost quite badly in South Pen. One of their biggest problems was playing with a structure and passing out of presses against stronger teams, which we had worked on for countless hours.
Their hard work showed in the first game, beating Bulleen by a very healthy amount after being in control the entire time.
They proceeded to do the same by thrashing Waverley. However, after keeping things close in the first half, they fell to Kilsyth (No. 1 seed who had beaten every other team by an average of 45), 54-27 – in the Cobras’ closest game of the tournament.
We knew this was going to be the finals match-up as they were dominating with a 350+% margin. Next day we thrashed both teams, beating Blackburn by 60!
As expected, we made it to finals against Kilsyth, holding it to its lowest scoring half – 13-11 its way – and forcing its two time-outs, before we let go of the game.
Very proud of my boys, and a very successful weekend for them indeed.
12.7 BOYS
The U12.7 boys entered the tournament after an amazing first round of grading. The goal was to get back into basketball after an extended break and improve the team structure.
The boys faced a heavy start with three straight losses mainly due to lack of effort (the long break had put a dent in motivation). Despite the losses the boys didn’t drop their heads and kept having fun and supporting each other. They kept focusing on the next game.
The fourth game was played with higher intensity and they managed to come out with a one-point victory over Eltham 12.7 and it seemed like they had found their way back to pre-holiday level. Unfortunately, after a long weekend playing in hot conditions they couldn’t take home the win in their last game.
Overall they didn’t achieve what they wanted, but they built stronger relationships and know what they need to work on for grading phase 2.
12.9 BOYS
The boys entered the tournament with a bit of unknown with some split grading results prior to Xmas and a little rust to start the competition after the holiday break.
The boys sparked up and got to work just before half-time in Game 1 against Eltham on Friday night on their way to a fantastic 18-point win. Great endeavour and grit across the full squad to get the ball rolling in the first tournament play for many of the team. With steamy conditions on the Saturday the boys thrived in the heat and under tournament pressure with strong 27- and 23-point wins over Crossover Navy and Nunawading.
Rotations and rest were key, with two players falling to injury, plus the boys took on all the development feedback into Sunday with a resounding Game 4 – a 79-point victory over Warrandyte in a near-perfect team display of sharing the ball and transition defence.
At 4-0, leading to a top-of-the-table clash with another Nunawading side was a mouth-watering proposition. After jumping them early with great defensive intensity the boys went on to a huge 27-point victory to finish undefeated at 5-0 and on top of the table with a percentage over 300 per cent.
Unfortunately we drew another Dragons team – the 12.10s in the semi-finals – and, due to more great passing and another fast start, we went on to win by 10 points despite a spirited comeback by our worthy opponents.
Despite being 6-0, the boys, with some weary legs, fell just short in the final game against Nunawading. The opponents brought great intensity on defence and rebounding that got the jump on us.
Spirited until the end the Dragons got within four points with four minutes to play but unfortunately couldn’t pull off the comeback, going down by seven. All in all great heart and teamwork, with the team’s development expedited by such great exposure to tournament play and eagerly acting on coaching messages and support from the stands! It was a superb tournament and a learing experience for the boys.
14.1 BOYS
The 14.1 boys looked to build on an impressive start to the VJBL calendar after having qualified for VC before Christmas. They did so by going 3-0 to start the tournament with wins over rivals Hawthorn, a tough Keilor side, and Aussie Prospects from WA who featured two massive 12-year-olds.
The boys rallied on Sunday morning from an early 13-point deficit against Bulleen to win a fourth straight, but sadly could not go undefeated in the pool stage, losing to South Adelaide. After finishing second in the pool, they unfortunately bowed out to Knox in the A Quarter-Finals.
Being an undersized 1s team, the boys showed much improved physicality, toughness and defensive pressure, particularly against Keilor and Aussie Prospects. While this wore them out as the weekend went on, the boys took plenty of learnings from the games against strong competition.
Thank you to the parents, TM Damien, and ACs Brendan and Nathan for supporting the boys and I during the tournament.
14.2 BOYS
The 14.2 Boys entered the tournament after a competitive Southern Peninsula Tournament and an undefeated grading phase. Our goal was to play with intensity and discipline, particularly at the defensive end.
The boys came out strong on Friday night with a 69-41 win over Hawthorn. Despite the hot conditions, the boys followed it up on Saturday with wins against Blackburn and Altona for a 3-0 start.
Sunday presented a big challenge against Broadmeadows, which we tied with in the previous round of grading. We started very slowly and despite a comeback in the second half, lost 31-30.
Next up was a strong and physical Coburg side. Despite our strong start and excellent shooting behind the arc, we failed to execute defensively and fell short, 58-50.
We regrouped quickly though, as the point secured us a spot in finals, and a rematch with Coburg.
We started the game well, anchored by our defence, which forced Coburg into tough shots. Our shot-making from the previous game meant we were closely and selectively guarded, and unable to establish a lead.
Coburg went to the line with 10 seconds left and tied the game. With no time-outs remaining, a solo run took us the length of the floor, and a tough finish at the buzzer sent us into the final.
The final against a strong Eltham side was another great defensive performance. After trailing by only one at half-time, Eltham’s pressure was too much for our tired legs and we came up short, 30-19.
Nonetheless, the boys had an excellent tournament, building chemistry and confidence for our upcoming games.
14.3 BOYS
It was a highly successful tournament for the 14.3 Boys, who finished the tournament with a 6-2 record and a hard-earned runners-up medal around their necks.
Pool play saw the boys grab four wins from their five games, thanks largely to high-pressure defence and tremendous ball movement. After a semi-final victory over Nunawading 3, it was on to the grand final.
Unfortunately, Keilor 4 was far too good in the decider. Despite holding the Thunder to its lowest score of the weekend, the boys just couldn’t generate enough offence in the final to keep it close.
Congratulations, boys, on a great effort and big thanks to all the parents for your support of the group.
14.4 BOYS
Some players from Team B14.4 had just returned from vacation, which made the team seem a bit unfamiliar and disorganised. Therefore, the main goal of this tournament was to prepare for upcoming placement matches, addressing issues such as stagnant half-court offence and the lack of experience among rotating players.
In the first two games, we struggled to find our rhythm. Our offensive execution was inconsistent, and defensive communication had several breakdowns. After those matches, however, the players gradually rediscovered their direction and strengths, securing a win in one of the following games, though we ultimately fell short of making the finals.
We hope the boys can carry the experience and confidence gained here into the matches ahead.
14.5 BOYS
The 14.5 Boys used the tourney to dust off the rust by focusing on our defensive intensity, rebounding efforts and transition, while reconnecting with each other on and off the court. While we finished the tourney 2-3, we achieved what we set out to do, had fun and got ourselves ready for the resumption of our grading season.
14.6 BOYS
The 14.6 boys hit the court after the break and faced adversity over the weekend.
The first game was a bit of a yo-yo game but the boys held onto a victory.
On Saturday, the boys couldn’t replicate the efforts from Friday and dropped both games.
On, Sunday the boys headed to Nunawading Stadium to keep their final chances alive. They went 1-1 in their Sunday games, which unfortunately wasn’t enough to make the finals. A lot of positives to take into the season to come.
14.7 BOYS
The 14.7s finished at the top of the C3 West pool with a strong 4–1 record, though we were unfortunately eliminated in the semi-finals. It was a massive effort considering we were the shortest team in the pool and were missing our top-age big man, leaving us battling a significant height disadvantage under the basket all weekend.
What makes this result even more impressive is that we did it with only eight players, many of whom were facing huge personal battles. We had boys pushing through jet lag, recovering from a knee fracture, and even one undergoing cancer treatments. To finish top of the ladder under those circumstances speaks volumes about their character and toughness.
On the court, we saw huge improvement in our transition offence, with dynamic passing helping us advance the ball quickly and find open looks. The guards and backcourt really stepped up to set the tone. While we didn’t get the final trophy, the way the team bonded and improved together was the real win.
14.8 BOYS
The 14.8 Boys headed into the Eltham Tournament without huge expectations. We knew our pool was stacked with some very strong teams, and being a full bottom-age group, we were up against it from the start. That said, we went in with two really clear focuses, pressure on defence and movement on offence, and that’s what we asked the boys to lock into.
Our first game on Friday was against Camberwell 9, a full top-age side that had been winning grading games by 40-plus points. We were pretty rusty offensively and missed a lot of good looks early, but our defensive pressure was outstanding and really limited their scoring. In the end, they were just a bit too polished, and we went down by 13, but it was a really positive start given the challenge.
Early Saturday morning we faced a very big Broadmeadows 5s team, which had six top-agers and three bottom-agers coming out of a 12.1 program last season. We competed hard and stayed in the fight as long as we could, but their pressure wore us down late and we lost by 21.
Saturday afternoon against Darebin 3 was a turning point. The boys came ready to play. Our defensive pressure stepped right up, we forced a heap of turnovers, and we ran our offensive structure almost perfectly. That effort earned us our first win of the tournament, a great 24-point result.
Sunday morning we played Blackburn 4 and came away with a tough five-point win, which set up our final pool game against Hawthorn 6 that afternoon. We knew a win would sneak us into the finals in fourth spot. In a very hot Nunawading Stadium, the boys turned the pressure right up again and controlled the game from start to finish, winning by 17 and locking in a semi-final spot against top-placed Camberwell 9.
We went into the semi with a very specific game plan, and the boys executed it perfectly. We slowed the game right down, took away the 9’s transition, and turned it into a real defensive battle. We held them to just 25 points, when they’d been averaging over 45 points for the tournament, and scored 32 points ourselves to take the win. Easily the best win this group has had, and it booked us a spot in the grand final.
In the grand final we came up against Broadmeadows 5 again. They were just too big, too strong and too fast on the day, and I think emotionally and physically we’d played our grandfinal in the semi. The boys were exhausted, but they gave everything they had. Finishing runners-up in such a strong tournament is an unbelievable achievement for this group.
I couldn’t be prouder of the growth, resilience, and buy-in these boys showed across the weekend. This tournament will set us up beautifully for the season ahead. Go Dragons.
14.10 BOYS
Being a purely bottom-age team with four players with no rep experience, we simplified our focus for the tournament.
We went into the tournament with a focus on defensive intensity (more stops and ball pressure) and quick transition in offence.
Our boys were rusty, undersized and outplayed physically. We had some really good passages of play during games but were not consistent enough to close out games and were easily out-rebounded. We missed our key big who would have been able to get us across the line for three of the five games.
We have some way to go with our physicality, transition ball movement and rebounding. On a positive, our offensive spacing and getting to the basket with good reads were clearly areas that have improved. Plenty of learnings for the boys on their journey this season.
16.1 BOYS
The 16.1s had a very productive tournament. Challenged by strong teams from all over Australia we competed at a high level and were able to very good take aways and growth that will help us in the season to come. We made it to the A2 grand final after missing out on A1 by a few per cent. Losing the grand final in a close game to a strong Wyndham team that had our number on the day.
16.3 BOYS
The boys got off to a good start to the tournament with a win in their first game against a South Adelaide Rockets team. It was their first game with all 10 players, due to various injuries last year, with one player making his debut for the team.
Following our good start, the boys struggled on Saturday against Coburg 1 and Eltham 2 as they dropped both games in competitive match-ups.
They entered Sunday and bounced back, winning both their games against Swishers Hoops Academy (TAS) and Nunawading 16.4, by 10 points and three points, to move on to the semi finals.
The boys faced Eltham 16.2 again, which they lost to by six earlier, and managed to walk away with another three-point win to make the grand final. Unfortunately, they lost to Coburg 16.1.
It was a great tournament as the boys finally got to play with everyone and enjoy themselves while winning a few games!
16.4 BOYS
The 16.4 Boys developed well throughout the tournament and set themselves up well for the next stage of grading. While results didn’t go our way over the weekend, going down to Hawthorn 3 (49-44), Nunawading 3 (67-41), Warrandyte 1 (45-40), In Front Bulls (WA) (80-42), and Kilsyth 3 (59-50), there were periods in all games where the boys showed what they were capable of producing. Overall, we had strong contributions from every player throughout the tournament, and the boys didn’t give up, fighting hard until the final siren.
16.6 BOYS
The 16.6 Boys came back from the holidays a bit rusty. They were in winning positions in the second half of four of their tournament games but only managed to finish with two draws and three losses.
They improved considerably over the tournament, playing strong basketball on Sunday, but the results pointed to some clear areas to improve in. Team chemistry off the court continued to be built on as they escaped the heat to Northland Shopping Centre, while the coaches embraced Vietnamese iced coffee.
16.7 BOYS
The tournament started off very well with a solid win on Friday night against Blackburn 3 – a team slightly ahead of us in the next grading pool. A flying start made a huge difference with Chris Shu’s awaited return after a December break, seeing him score early points and place early pressure on the opposition.
It was one of the first times since November that we fielded a full roster of 10 boys – due to illness, injuries, or holidays.
We expected an easier game second up on Saturday morning against a visiting Tassie team (Swisher Hoops Academy) that had lost its first game by 40-odd points, and we won by a similar margin.
The boys were definitely up and about after starting 2-0 – but we knew the tougher tests within the pool were still to come. Our second game on Saturday was always going to be a tough one against Bulleen 6, a team we lost to by six points in the first grading phase.
We started poorly and struggled to get back into the game. The half-time margin of 21 points ended up being close to the final margin, so credit to the boys for sticking with them in the second half.
A team lunch followed by a swim in the heat was exactly what the boys needed after a solid start – but there was disappointment with the effort and result from that third game.
Sunday morning saw us take on Ringwood 6, which was also 2-1. Probably the best game of the tournament from the boys and one we could have easily and probably should have won – going down by one point after a lapse mid-way through the second half saw Ringwood get back into the game.
The final pool game saw us up against Eltham 9, which was 3-1. Unfortunately, we had a limited bench with a few boys restricted by injury and soreness. That didn’t stop us from playing another very solid game – coming back from seven down late in the second half to fall short by only two points with a late opportunity to draw the game.
A 2-3 record and a first-up win vs Blackburn 3 (also finishing 2-3) saw us scrape into fourth spot and a rematch with Eltham 9 in the semi-final. A good start saw us tied at 18-all at half-time and very much expecting to have a shot at making the grand final.
Sadly, a relatively hard press and a few little mistakes early in the second half saw us lose control of the match quite quickly – ultimately losing by 11 points. Eltham 9 went on to win the tournament – a well-drilled team that appeared to be very fit, combined with high intensity and physicality – something we need to aim for as the season progresses.
A quick shout-out to Ethan Robinson, who has obviously worked very hard over the summer and has returned in great shape – running out the tournament with ease. Ultimately, finishing the tournament losing the last four games wasn’t ideal, albeit two strong performances in those narrow losses against teams starting in the same upcoming grading pool as us. Overall, plenty of positives to take away from the weekend together with quite a few important things to work on in the short term.
16.8 BOYS
The 16.8 BOYS headed into the tournament with just eight players, with two squad members away on family holidays. Despite the limited numbers, the group embraced the challenge and showed terrific resilience across the long weekend.
The tournament opened on Friday night against Eltham 10. With limited preparation and missing players, the boys were understandably rusty and struggled to find their rhythm early. It was a scrappy contest, but the team found a way to grind out a hard-fought five-point win, setting a positive foundation despite the performance being well below our best.
Saturday presented a tougher test, with two losses that nevertheless showed clear signs of improvement and fight. Game 1 was a narrow loss to Doncaster 2, where our offence and ball movement against a zone defence were strong and encouraging. Unfortunately, we were beaten on the boards and conceded too many second-chance points, which ultimately proved the difference.
In the second game, the boys faced a strong upper-age domestic team called Crossover United. We competed extremely well in the first half, but the combination of limited rotations and fitness began to show after the break. United capitalised in the second half, and the margin blew out, despite the boys’ continued effort.
Sunday was a standout day and a real credit to the group. The boys responded superbly, recording wins against Blackburn 4s and Ringwood 7s – two teams that had beaten us previously. These performances showcased our best basketball of the tournament, highlighted by excellent ball movement, strong defensive intensity, and a much-improved effort on the boards. These results propelled the team into third place and earned a semi-final berth on Monday.
In the semi-final, we again faced Blackburn 4. Unfortunately, too many turnovers in the first half led to easy transition baskets for the opposition, opening up a 12-point gap. While the boys played a much cleaner and more composed second half, the early damage proved too difficult to overcome, and we fell short.
Overall, the tournament was full of positives and provided real clarity around our areas for growth. The boys showed strong character, resilience, and improvement across the weekend. Key focus areas moving forward will be reducing turnovers, continuing to improve ball movement against zone defences, rebounding consistently, and tightening defensive positioning. The effort and attitude displayed throughout the tournament were excellent, and there is plenty to build on heading into the next phase of the season.
18.1 BOYS
We opened the tournament with two losses that stripped away any early optimism. Kilsyth 1 got us by 28, Eltham 1 by 10. Blunt feedback, but useful.
From there, we beat Ringwood comfortably, which was a good result after dropping to them by double digits in grading phase 1, and then dropped a tough one to South Adelaide that we shouldn’t.
We responded well after that gut check, showing real composure to beat an undefeated Nunawading 1 team by three.
Finals were our best stretch. We put together a good offensive performance against North Adelaide (73-52), showed real toughness in a low-scoring semi with a three-point win against Harbour NZ, then finished the weekend by beating Diamond Valley in overtime in the grand final (63-56).
Not perfect, definitely not always pretty, but resilient, connected, and willing to respond when it mattered. We are 6-1 in games decided by seven points or less so far this season, so while I may not like how it looks, who really am I to argue with the result?
18.4 BOYS
The boys went 0–5 at the tournament but showed clear improvement as the weekend went on. We played more as a team and finished with plenty of positives to build on for the next grading phase.
18.5 BOYS
I love tournament weekend. Lots of basketball in a short period of time equals accelerated learning and growth. An extra body of work in a very short period of time. Each of the boys set some great personal and team goals pre tourney. Very self-aware and very centered around team. Great to see these in action during the games
The standard of basketball was outstanding, and we knew this was going to be a tough grade. To lose by 30 points on Friday night to Nuna and then bounce back the next afternoon and fight out a close one-point loss. A great team performance against Collingwood.
The two Sunday games were all-round great. Another tight game against Eltham with a two-point L and then to step up in a must-win game to make finals against Diamond Valley 11-point W – you completely shut them out in the second half where our defence completely beat down their physicality.
Not only did we make our final goal – we gave them a solid scare and competed to within an inch of our lives bouncing back from the 30-point defeat and go down by one point in the dying seconds. I was super proud of the way the boys showed up. Defence was elite, ball movement great and team-first basketball.
Story in progress. Team reports still being uploaded.
