WNWBL Season Preview
A look ahead to the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League, which tips off this weekend.
The Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League starts this weekend, with a re-vamped league featuring six teams across five states.
There are three new teams in 2025 - Gold Coast Rollers, Victoria Wonders and Adelaide Thunder, who join Perth Wheelcats, Sydney Blues and the re-named Sydney Uni Lions. Sydney Uni are defending champions.
Victoria and Adelaide are welcome additions to the league, with players in those states previously having to join interstate teams to take part, while Gold Coast take over representing the Sunshine State from last season’s Queensland Comets.
Wheelchair basketball is very similar to the traditional able bodied version of the sport in terms of the rules and scoring system. However, like most Para sports, athletes have different classification depending on their impairment. At any one time, the five players on the court cannot exceed a combination of 14 classification points.
With the national Gliders team missing out on last year’s Paralympics, there is a renewed determination to grow the domestic league, with several national team veterans playing a key role in revitalising the WNWBL this year. Some of them will be taking the court this season, alongside some of Australia’s most exciting young talent. The WNWBL has also attracted a superstar of the sport in USA Paralympic champion Rose Hollerman (Sydney Uni), plus Paralympic medalists from other sports, such as Wheelchair Rugby Steelers star Shae Graham (Victoria).
Another new and exciting part of the league this year is the addition of two 3x3 games as part of each round. With Wheelchair 3x3 basketball retained for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, it’s a chance for players to increase their experience in that format of the sport, which Australia medaled in at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
Gliders national team coach Craig Campbell shared with HER WAY what excites him about this upcoming season:
“I’m excited by the number of games athletes will get to play with a 6 team league, as well as the additional 3x3 games to ensure meaningful minutes for all athletes representing their clubs. We’ve got athletes from all states & territories represented which is a credit to the programs growing the numbers of women playing wheelchair basketball across the country.”
Craig believes having a strong, competitive national league will give the Gliders the best opportunity to assemble strong squads for international tournaments ongoing:
“The league allows players to be match fit heading into qualifiers. We have some great training environments around the nation, but replicating match play is tough at times. A strong league through helps our athletes be ready to compete on the world stage.”
Among some of the players with a wealth of international experience are three time Paralympic medalist Kylie Gauci (Sydney Blues), two time Paralympic medalist and ASC Board member Bridie Kean (GC Rollers), fellow Paralympic medalists Shelley Matheson (Vic) and Leanne del Toso (Vic). They will be playing alongside and against some athletes still new to the sport, with some less than half their age, including Perth teen rising star Ebony Stevenson. Meanwhile Ella Sabljak, a Commonwealth Games 3x3 medalist and Paris 2024 Wheelchair Rugby medalist, will take on the coaching role at Gold Coast as she prepares for the birth of her first child later this year. HER WAY asked Gliders coach Campbell why having these veterans still in the game is so important:
“Knowledge and experience is huge. Both from having a hunger to win as they know what that feeling’s like and want to chase it again is great. Having past players moving into coaching roles and managing programs also shows that there are many ways people can transition into in our game when international playing careers come to an end, so we don’t loose that passion and experience.”
Here’s a quick look at all six teams, and Gliders coach Craig Campbell’s guide to who to keep an eye for this season.
ADELAIDE THUNDER
SQUAD: Lucinda Bueti (4.0), Katelin Gunn (1.5), Danielle Hale (4.5), Julianne Henry (4.0), Brooke Joppich (2.0), Ellie McInerney (3.0), Isobella Nitschke (4.5), Wendy Passfield (2.5), Keira Sanchez (4.5)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“Katelin Gunn is both current star and on the rise. Isobella Nitschke had a great junior nationals with South Australia when they won the Kevin Coombes Cup & will be a big piece of Thunders success on court this season.”
GOLD COAST ROLLERS
SQUAD: Ann-Maree Alley (1.0), Charlotte Barber (4.5), Kristy Bugeja (2.0), Anthea Castelli (1.0), Krystal Demaid (4.5), Gorja Ebert (1.5), Ashlee Grice (4.5), Bridie Kean (4.0), Madelene Kelton (4.0), Sarah King (3.0), Annabelle Lindsay (4.5), Natalie Palmer (3.5), Melanie Thompson (2.5), Emerald Wilmshurst (4.0)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“One of the biggest talking points is Annabelle Lindsay (pictured below) moving from Sydney Uni to new Gold Coast team. Always at or near top of the scoring table each season she’ll be a go to player for the Rollers. Sarah King is a young gun on the rise – has been around national program for some time & made move into metro base to join daily performance environment which we’ll see her development come on in leaps and bounds.”
PERTH WHEELCATS
SQUAD: Natalie Alexander (4.5), Amy Beal (2.0), Laura Gillis, Georgina Gott (4.0), Lauren Hardbottle (4.0), Sara Houston (4.0), Georgia Inglis (2.5), Madison Kent, Amber Merritt (4.5), Taishar Ovens (1.0), Ebony Stevenson (3.0), Sarah Vinci (1.0)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“Ebony Stevenson the young gun is making a mark in the Gliders program whilst still in high school, her game continues to grow as does her enthusiasm for the game. Taishar Ovens had a big impact at the Osaka Cup in Feb and expect her speed and controlled aggression around the court to cause headaches for opposition players.”
SYDNEY BLUES
SQUAD: Mari Amimoto (4.5), Jess Cronje (4.0), Daniella Egle-Bast (1.0), Kylie Gauci (2.0), Maryanne Latu (2.0), Georgia Munro-Cook (4.5), Clare Nott (1.0), Jess Pellow (1.5), Teisha Shadwell, Victoria Simpson (1.5)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“Georgia Munro-Cook (below) a constant performer in the league and also captain of Gliders. Expectations of Cookie are always high and she delivers year after year. Victoria Simpson is a young gun to watch – taking all opportunities to play available over past 12 months with Club Challenge, Waratah League, Jr nationals, also part of the Manly Academy.”
SYDNEY UNI LIONS
SQUAD: Tracey Carruthers (4.5), Hannah Dodd (1.0), Melissa Dunn (3.0), Lisa Edmonds (3.0), Reema El Qassem, Breanna Fisk (1.5), Rose Hollerman (3.5), Patricia Luff (1.5), Samantha Pratt (4.5), Caitlin Reid, Zeena Suavaga (2.5), Mikayla Tuppurainen (4.5), Stephanie van Leeuwen (1.0), Tani Vollmer (4.5), Sonia Withey (4.0), Didem Yildrem (4.5)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“Hannah Dodd has returned from a great season in Europe ready to compete both for Sydney Uni & when no clash of weekends for Wollongong Rollerhawks. One to watch is young gun Breanna Fisk (1.5), trains remotely in regional NSW and as a low pointer who sits tall expect to see her cause some challenges for team matchups.”
VICTORIA WONDERS
SQUAD: Melanie Adams (1.0), Sarah Calati (4.5), Harriet Caldwell (4.0), Kiya Charles (4.5), Laura Davoli (4.0), Leanne del Toso (3.0), Freya Elliott (4.5), Shae Graham (1.0), Remy Grogan (4.5), Kim Hampton (4.0), Isabel Martin (1.0), Shelley Matheson (3.0), Saffy Ore, Katherine Reed (1.0), Sammy Rolph (1.0), Kate Schie (4.5)
Craig Campbell’s Ones to Watch:
“Young gun on the rise – Harriet Caldwell from Bendigo. Great shooter and having fun learning the game. Current Stars: Laura Davoli and Issy Martin (pictured below) – expect to see great things out of both Gliders in league as they get ready to take up scholarships in UTA & Alabama to live and breathe Wheelchair basketball whilst getting college education.”
The league gets underway this weekend with Gold Coast hosting Perth, Adelaide travelling to Victoria’s State Basketball Centre, and a Sydney derby.
Check the full schedule here: