Games of the Week Preview: May 24-26

All five conferences are back in action this weekend and there are plenty of exciting games to watch. 

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Watch all of the NBL1 Games of the Week live and free via Kayo Freebies. 

Friday, Round 7: North Gold Coast Seahawks vs Mackay Meteorettes & Meteors

Women’s live from 6:00pm AEST

North Gold Coast and the deadly duo of Miela Goodchild and Mikaela Ruef will host the Meteorettes in a classic Friday night match-up in the North. 

Goodchild is leading the nation in scoring, at 32.2 points per game and has led the Seahawks to a 7-1 record going into this clash. Her partner in crime, Ruef, has continued her dominance, averaging 16.8 points, 21.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game after making the move from Logan last season. 

They’ll be going up against Taylor Mole, who’s leading Mackay in scoring with 21.2 points per game.

 While having a slow start to the season, captain Chelsea Brook has to have a major defensive performance for Mackay to win – averaging 7.2 rebounds and almost a block per game, she'll likely tackle the difficult task of guarding Ruef on Friday night.

 

Men’s live from 8:00pm AEST

Looking to extend their undefeated streak, the Mackay Meteors will have a test on Friday night with Matt Kenyon and Cameron Healy’s Seahawks ready to hand them their first loss in “The Nest”. 

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With the likes of Isaac White, Todd Blanchfield and Luca Yates starring, it’s easy to see how the Meteors sit alone as the only men’s team in the country with an undefeated record. 

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Saturday, Round 9: Warwick Senators vs Joondalup Wolves

Women’s live from 5:00pm AWST

The battle of Joondalup will go ahead for the second time this season, as the Senators will now host the Wolves and will look to end the season series. 

In Round 7 the Senators beat the Wolves 79-65, off the back of Stacey Barr and Chloe Forster scoring a combined 50 points to overwhelm Joondalup’s defence. The Wolves will be hungry for revenge, beating Willetton last round and will have to first get through the Eagles before playing Warwick at home on Saturday. 

 

Men’s live from 7:00pm AWST

The Wolves suffered their first loss of the season last round and will have two games to regain their momentum during Round 9. 

With East Perth on Friday, they’ll finish the weekend in Warwick by taking on the Senators. In their last match, the Wolves finished as 15-point winners, with three different players scoring 20 points or more. 

The Wolves and Senators are second and third on the ladder respectively, and with the likes of Marshall Nelson, Michael Dupree, CJ Turnage and Jonathan Wade suiting up across both sides – it’s a must-watch in the West. 

 

Saturday: Round 9: Sturt Sabres vs North Adelaide Rockets 

Women’s live from 6:30pm ACST

After a bye, NBL1 Central returns this weekend with a premier match-up in the women’s Game of the Week. Last season’s runners-up, Sturt, will host Brooke Basham’s North Adelaide Rockets in what should be a classic game. 

The player to watch will be Tayla Brazel, the star on the rise who will not only have to carry Sturt’s offence, but lock down Basham on the other end. 

 

Men’s live from 8:15pm ACST

In the second game of the night, the 7-2 Sabres will take on the fast-paced Rockets in an entertaining clash. 

Durrell “Nugget” MacDonald is averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game alongside his co-stars in Koop McCalop and Robert Crawford.

They’ll have a tough fight ahead with Jacob Rigoni and Jordan Forbes averaging a combined 51 points per game this season, showing the offensive firepower of this Sabres side.

Sunday, Round 8: Sydney Comets vs Canberra Nationals & Gunners 

Men’s live from 1:00pm AEST 

Starting Sunday’s action, the Comets will host the Gunners in what should be an entertaining game between the 2022 champions and the run-and-gun Comets.

The Gunners are sitting at an impressive 9-1 heading into Round 8, only dropping one game to the also 9-1 Maitland Mustangs. 

They’ll be heading up to Sydney to play the 10th-placed Comets, who have a dynamic duo of Biwali Byales and Obi Kyei and a seven-footer in Johnny Crnogorac to handle the “Brindabella Beacon” Glenn Morison. 

 

Women’s live from 3:00pm AEST

Two sides hunting to climb into the top eight, the Comets will host the Nationals on Sunday afternoon. 

It will be a head-to-head match-up between two elite scorers in Canberra’s Lizzy Tonks and Sydney’s Davida Dale. While two former Opals and now coaches Shelley Gorman and Kristen Veal will battle it out on the sidelines. 

Tonks is currently averaging 20 points per game while Dale is putting up 17.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the 4-6 Comets. Setting up what should be a fantastic game. 

Sunday, Round 8: Eltham Wildcats vs Hobart Chargers 

Women’s live from 12:30pm AEST

Both sides will have a major weekend ahead of them as the Chargers will travel up the border to play the Cavaliers on Saturday then the Wildcats at home on Sunday. 

Eltham has once again put together a talented roster, featuring import Hailey Leidel, WNBL players Rebecca Pizzey and Lily Scanlon and former North Gold Coast Seahawk Erin Riley. 

They’ll be ready to defend home court against Hobart’s high-powered offence, featuring three players averaging over 15 points per game. 

The one to watch will be Cierra Walker, a young gun quickly improving her scoring average this season – coming off a 24-point performance against Knox last week. 

 

Men’s live from 2:30pm AEST 

The SEM Phoenix duo of Angus Glover and Owen Foxwell will have their hands full with the surging Hobart Chargers coming to town on Sunday. 

With the additions of import Terrell Brown, a healthy Ole Angerstein and NBL championship-winning captain Clint Steindl, Hobart is set up for a fantastic second half of the season. They’ll be going up against Eltham’s potent offence and a loud and proud home crowd.