How Women's NBL1 West is shaping up

When new signings include Abby Cubillo, Ally Wilson, Zitina Aokuso and Alex Fowler to add to an already strong playing contingent and we might be set for the highest quality NBL1 West season yet.

That's combined with the players back on deck from last season including Grace Stone, Anneli Maley, Natalie Chou, Karly Murphy, Kiara Waite, Marena Whittle, Alex Ciabattoni, Steph Gorman, Jewel Williams, Daniel Raber, Alex Sharp, Georgia Pineau, Nat Burton, Stacey Barr, Chloe Forster and Desiree Kelley.

Add in that Sarah Mortensen, Nici Gilday, Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard, Ruby Porter, Sasha Goodlett, Stefanie Berberabe, Emma Gandini, Rosie Deegan, Patty Brossmann, Amy Jacobs and Claire Jacobs are also either returning to the league or on board for the first time, and there's great reason for excitement heading into the 2025 NBL1 West season.

The Rockingham Flames were the champions in 2024 but there has been plenty of changes ahead of their title defence beginning with a new coach with Lukas Carey replacing Marcus Wong.

Grand Final MVP and championship captain Alex Sharp is back, though, along with Georgia Pineau, Jess Jakens and Shani Amos.

Marena Whittle heads the list of inclusions for the Flames along with Alex Ciabattoni fresh off a strong WNBL season at the Perth Lynx and playing against Rockingham for Cockburn in last year's Grand Final.

Rosie Deegan has returned from college and joined the Flames as well while former champion Paris Duffield has decided to play NBL1 once more.

Two years ago and the Cockburn Cougars had never reached a women's Grand Final, but now they've played in the past two deciders which saw them win the championship in 2023 and come up just short in 2024.

Cockburn also has a new coach with Russell Hann stepping up to replace Tyrone Thwaites while a large contingent of the playing group is back on deck.

While Ciabattoni and Maria Blazejewski aren’t, the Cougars have retained Steph Gorman fresh off another strong WNBL season with the Lynx along with Jewel Williams, Regan Turnour-McCarty and Daniel Raber, who played at Geelong this past WNBL season.

Ruby Porter has also made the move to Western Australia to join the Cougars while championship winning forward Sarah Mortensen is a significant addition on return.

The Perry Lakes Hawks made a stirring run all the way to the preliminary final last season despite the loss of Jayda Clark in the very first game.

She is back this season while coach Craig Mansfield will reunite with Amy Jacobs after their time at Lakeside together previously with the Hawks also making a splash with the addition of Townsville Fire WNBL star Alex Fowler.

WNBL MVP Sami Whitcomb will also have a short stint before she heads off for her WNBA season at the Phoenix Mercury with Perry Lakes also retaining key players including Grace Stone, Mia Satie, Alira Fotu, Maddy Dennis, Eryn Fisher, Ellie Newman and Beige Harris.

The Lakeside Lightning came from seventh to also reach the preliminary final last year in the first season together in the league of coach Marty Zeller and his MVP winning daughter Teige Morrell.

While there is some change at Lakeside including the departure of Caitie Jones, Tia Ucich, Jade Gowland and Marnelle Garraud, Morrell is back on deck along with some impressive signings.

That includes former East Perth quartet Sam Lubcke, Hannah Swarbrick, Yom Deng and Sarah Allen with Abbey Hall, Hannah Patterson and Zoe Bassett also signing on.

The Warwick Senators looked genuine championship threats for a lot of 2024 before ending up losing at home in the semi finals to Lakeside, but reigning Coach of the Year Brad Robbins remains at the helm in 2025.

While retaining a large contingent of that core group from last season including Chloe Forster, Stacey Barr, Nat Burton, Kyana Weir and Isabelle Miotti, the Senators have some significant additions too.

That includes the returning of Warwick product Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard fresh off another WNBL season with the Lynx while reigning Best Defensive Player and championship winner Emma Gandini adds some significant bite to that back court.

Kiara Waite is also coming off her rookie WNBL season with the Lynx and joins the Senators to shore up that front court alongside Clinch Hoycard.

The Willetton Tigers won seven of their last eight games of the season to finish fifth and then knock out the Joondalup Wolves in the first round, and there have been plenty of changes coming into 2025 for coach Simon Parker.

While Willetton will miss Claire and Amy Jacobs, their own young gun Kiara Waite and imports Jillian Archer and Melisa Brcaninovic from last season, there's a lot to be excited about with the additions.

The Tigers have secured a significant coup adding two-time WNBL championship winning centre Zitina Aokuso, who played this past season in Turkey, which gives them a significant inside presence.

Willetton has also brought on board former Cougar Matilda Muir along with Kelsey Curtin, Eva Langton, Ella Averill, Jess Mantle and Emily Counsel to ensure their competitiveness once more.

Desiree Kelley, Jasmin Clark, Keira Paul, Piper Hearn, Ella Murdoch, Remy Hearn, Ashlin Ramsay are all back from last year with the Tigers as well.

The Joondalup Wolves still managed to play finals in 2024 despite going on a nine-game losing streak but then lost in the first round on the road to Willetton.

The Wolfpack will be looking to hit back in 2025 in the second season for coach Jesse Pence while bringing back several key players including Ella Thornton-Elliott, Jorjah Smith and Laniesha Paddon.

They also welcome back gun scorer and 174-game veteran Chelsea Belcher with another experienced player, Alecia Knowles, making the move north with great excitement around the recruitment of Stefanie Berberabe along with Jhazmin Joson, Maddie Sutton and Jyordanna Davey.

The Perth Redbacks had a superstar line-up in 2024 headed up by Anneli Maley and Natalie Chou, and had they been available for more than a combined 26 games who knows how far they could have gone.

In the end, they still made finals before losing in the first round to the Lakeside Lightning without Maley and with Chou not 100 per cent, and Shenae Hartree already out injured.

The Redbacks welcome back Maley and Chou, and will be hoping for greater availability, but they've certainly loaded up around them as well.

Patty Brossmann played in a championship with Cockburn in 2023 and now returns to the league at the Redbacks while Sophie Doran brings experience to the back court and Arianna Horne, Grace Evans and Kyah Nichols are other new additions with Raya Thompson captain, and Georgia Denehey backing her up.

The Mandurah Magic had a rare finals absence in 2024 but it was only narrow and they were still a chance to make it heading into the last round before ending up finishing ninth.

The Magic will look to be the big improvers for 2025 and that will start with their signing of Ally Wilson. She is fresh off the best WNBL season of her career with the Perth Lynx which saw her named the club's MVP and make the All-WNBL First Team.

She will now play in the NBL1 West for the first time but it doesn’t stop there for the Magic under championship winning coach Vlad Alava.

Claire Jacobs was outstanding at Willetton last season and now joins Mandurah in 2025 with Hannah Chatfield, Grace Berg, McKenna Dale and Jade Gowland among the other new additions that should help see them right back in the playoff mix.

The East Perth Eagles never quite realised their potential last season finishing in 10th spot and three games out of the finals, but they have retooled under a new coach who is no stranger to the club.

Tim Symons has made a lifetime commitment to the Eagles and now takes over as coach of their women's team and there has been significant turnover to the playing roster.

There's great excitement with some of the additions headed up by two-time WNBL championship winning guard Abby Cubillo who makes the move west for the first time in her career.

The Eagles have also added former WNBA championship winner Sasha Goodlett while bringing across Tiahna Sears who averaged 18.6 points and 8.6 rebounds in 2024 with the Eastern Suns.

Awatea Leach, Fearne Van Beeck, Madison Torresin and Akim Lual are among the other Eagles additions with the retention of experienced pair Tessa Morrison and Taylor Roberts.

The Eastern Suns did take some steps forward last season under coach Marcus Bardill and now have some impressive additions on board to try and get right in the finals mix in 2025.

After a tough start to the 2024 season losing 10 of the first 11 games, Kalamunda finished off well winning five of seven games in the run home to have something to build on for 2025.

The Suns have added some impressive pieces to try and ensure that happens too led by Karly Murphy who is fresh off two standout seasons as a scoring and rebounding machine at the Warwick Senators.

Jaymee Firkins, Alyssa Bowen, Kueiyra Butler, Kuir Gayo and Denae Civich are among the other additions.

It was another challenging season in 2024 for the Goldfields Giants but there is great excitement for the team in Kalgoorlie in 2025 with the new venue all ready to go to play host to them.

The Giants managed just three wins under new coach Jaymi Worthington in 2024, but they will be hoping for plenty more in 2025 with some impressive additions.

That is headed up by former Mandurah and Perry Lakes import guard Nici Gilday, who gives the Giants that experienced, match winning star they have been craving to lead from the front.

The Giants have also added 208-game veteran Rachel Petit who has made the move from Mandurah with Josephine Odude also crossing from Joondalup.

The South West Slammers will be hoping to firstly find that elusive win in the 2025 season and then build from there after a tough run now over multiple years.

The Slammers come into the 2025 season on a 52-game losing streak and that came on the back of 41 successive defeats so they have lost 93 of the last 94 matches highlighting how tough things have been.

South West will be coached by Mark Edman in 2025 and they will be hoping new imports Mykea Gray and Cayla King along with fellow signings Molly Wicks, Grace Lawler and Ella Edwards.