NBL Crosscourt: Brisbane Bullets to launch independent review after failed season, what’s next for Cairns Taipans, NZ Breakers
Brisbane will call in an independent party to review its failed NBL campaign, as a star free agent looks set to stay in Cairns, while a courtside blow-up adds more mire to the Breakers’ horror season.
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Brisbane will launch an independent review into an injury-riddled NBL campaign that will mark a sixth straight season without postseason play, amid speculation around Justin Schueller’s coaching future.
The Bullets stumbled out of the blocks, losing their first three games, roared back into contention with a mid-season 6-2 streak before an unprecedented injury crisis derailed any hopes of ending the playoff drought.
Ahead of their last regular season game against Cairns on Thursday night, Bullets’ chief executive Mal Watts confirmed the review plan to Crosscourt.
THE LATEST: BULLETS | BREAKERS | TAIPANS
“We do a review every season but, due to the significant spike in our injuries and the impact that that’s had on our results, we’re going to bring in an independent party to review that and then use those learnings to make decisions for the betterment of the club moving forward,” Watts said.
“We are accountable and we’re trying to drive high standards and part of that is owning where we have fallen short and not just not pushing things under the rug.”
While the record doesn’t show it – 12-16 before Thursday night’s game, after finishing 13-15 last season – it does feel like Brisbane made some progress, beating playoff-bound teams Melbourne, Perth, South East Melbourne (twice) and Adelaide – in all three meetings.
Schueller, contracted for next season, scoffed at suggestions he was under pressure.
“I’m going into my third year and going to be talking to the club about what it looks like past that, pretty soon, there’s nothing going on with me and I’m excited for what we’re going to do in years to come,” Schueller said.
“We’re obviously frustrated with injuries impacting the way our year’s ended up but our process will be the same as always, we’ll review, as we always do, players, staff, every element of the club.”
The Bullets have kept hospitals in the Sunshine State in business in NBL25 with a revolving casualty ward – just six healthy main-roster players suited up in last week’s win over Adelaide.
NBL pundit and former Bullet Derek Rucker recently aired concerns Brisbane players had been pushed too hard in training, a claim Schueller refuted.
“We’ve had two competitive practices this month, there’s none of that at all,” Schueller said.
“Someone mentioned that (what Rucker said) to me and I was like ‘we’re no different to any other NBL team as far as our practice schedule’.
“The amount of impact injuries versus anything else is something that we can’t really control.”
Injuries to Sam McDaniel (shoulder), James Batemon (hamstring) and Jarred Bairstow (ankle) ended their seasons.
Batemon had a 50-piece in November before tearing his hamstring and the Bullets replaced him with former Tasmania JackJumpers grand finalist Josh Adams, who was restricted by ankle issues.
McDaniel wrecked his shoulder during the NBL1 season and played in the Bullets’ season-opener, before being sent for surgery.
After Deng Adel did his best Kevin Durant impersonation in pre-season, groin issues restricted the former NBA man to just 10 games.
Young forward Josh Bannan missed the start of the season with a hand injury, suffered multiple concussions and a knee injury that restricted him to 19 games. Star centre Tyrell Harrison has had ongoing concussion symptoms and has not played since January 8. Teen Next Star Rocco Zikarsky’s growing 220cm body limited him to 18 games as he dealt with knee and leg pain.
Resilient veteran guard Mitch Norton was the only Bullet to appear in every game leading into Thursday’ night’s clash with Cairns.
BRISBANE BULLETS
How it came to this:
The Bullets returned to the past to start NBL25, announcing home games will be played at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the first time since 2019.
The franchise had bold plans for the 10,500 seat arena to be a catalyst for growth, on-and-off the court.
Key NBL24 signing Casey Prather looked prime to excel after a full pre-season, while the club secured promising imports Keandre Cook and James Batemon.
The hype soon went south when the Bullets opened the season with three straight losses.
Brisbane managed to resurrect their season in late November and early December, winning four of five games.
Just when the Bullets looked like they’d turned the corner, Batemon suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in late December.
The Bullets did their best to compete for a top-six berth on the back of players like Prather, but, in the end, an extensive injury toll proved too much.
Key issues:
Prather might be the biggest name Brisbane has to make a decision on but what young big man Josh Bannan does might really shape the Bullets next season.
Bannan has a player option he is almost certain to decline, given the dearth of elite available local power forwards has made his market red-hot.
Despite injury struggles, the 23-year-old has shown flashes of becoming a premier inside-outside threat and can expect a big bump in salary on his next deal. Speaking of a bump in salary, Prather’s MVP-level renaissance has given the 33-year-old triple-NBL champion huge leverage and the Bullets will need to pay up to keep him in the Sunshine State, with interest from both Australian and overseas.
They might be lucky to get him at a discount, though, given wife Arianna has become a fixture on the NBL broadcast, son Deuce was born in Brissy and the Bullets did afford him the opportunity to restart his basketball career after nearly two years on the sidelines.
The future of young gun Rocco Zikarsky will also be key. Does the rising Boomer declare for this year’s draft or play another NBL season?
Reason for hope:
Batemon is contracted for NBL26 and that’s a major boost for Brisbane, given his scoring exploits this season.
The Bullets have a solid base to build around, with ever-improving big man Harrison and veteran leader Norton.
But Brisbane need a big fish, with Crosscourt revealing last year they’re preparing a motherload offer for the biggest of all, out-of-contract Perth Wildcats great Bryce Cotton.
It’s understood the Bullets will also have another crack at the Will McDowell-White sweepstakes, should the guard decide he wants to move back to his home state.
ROSTER MATTERS
Contracted: Tyrell Harrison, James Batemon III (import), Mitch Norton, Tristan Devers (DP)
Options: Josh Bannan (player), Tohi Smith-Milner (club), Kye Savage (DP, club), Josh Kunen (DP, club)
Free agent: Casey Prather (import), Keandre Cook (import), Josh Adams (import), Sam McDaniel, Deng Adel, Isaac White, Jarred Bairstow, Emmett Naar
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
How it came to this:
Breakers owner Matt Walsh was a genius and coach Petteri Kopponen was the nominal coach of the year when the Kiwis were 7-3 and top-of-the NBL table after nine rounds. Then the wheels fell off after the club severed ties with serviceable import big Freddie Gillespie and brought in 7’6” Senegalese giant Tacko Fall. The former NBA man has had his moments but the cold hard fact is the giant’s arrival coincided with an eight-game losing streak and the Breakers are just 3-15 since he first pulled on a jersey – two of those wins coming over the only team below them on the ladder, Cairns.
Key issues:
It’s not Tacko’s fault – he just wanted a place to play basketball – but Koponen had this squad singing before his arrival forced him to completely blow up the game plan at both ends to accommodate the lumbering big man.
Fall’s strengths are his length and sheer size – and he’s dominated the paint, at times – but guards and stretch bigs have feasted on his inability to adequately guard the perimeter.
Superstar guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright’s five-game suspension for making contact with a referee didn’t help the Breakers’ cause. Koponen has two years to run on his contract (the third a team option) but has shown clear frustration at times. Tacko is under contract so Koponen will have an off-season to figure out if there’s a version of the Breakers built around the big man that can produce a winning record — that is unless the Breakers decide to go in a different direction on the big man, or Koponen entertains a new gig.
Reason for hope:
Young Next Star Karim Lopez doesn’t turn 18 until April, but he’s already proven he can be an elite contributor at the pro level. Expect him to assume an even bigger role next season as the No.1 international prospect ahead of the 2026 NBA draft.
Brutal big man Sam Mennenga has been a shining light on the court and in his passion for playing for his country. He’s under contract as an import-like local building block in the middle for the Breakers.
Import guard Matt Mooney’s season ended in ugly fashion, sidelined by Koponen for the entire second half of Wednesday night’s clash with Illawarra after an on-court blow up with teammates. He’d publically expressed an interest in returning but that looks a long shot now. As for PJC, Walsh says the MVP-level talent’s got the largest contract offer in the history of the franchise in front of him, but will it be enough for him to get over his frustration with the NBL and return? Walsh has recently said he wants to recruit a core of New Zealanders and he might start with Kiwi trio Finn Delany, Sam Timmins and Dan Fotu, who are all playing in Japan. It’s understood all three would entertain NBL offers.
ROSTER MATTERS
Contracted: Tacko Fall (contracted) Sam Mennenga, Mitch McCarron, Max Darling, Karim Lopez (Next Star), Alex McNaught (DP), Kaia Isaac (DP)
Option: Sean Bairstow (club), Carlin Davison (DP, club)
Free agent: Parker Jackson-Cartwright (import), Matt Mooney (import), Jonah Bolden, Dane Pineau, Mojave King, Grant Anticevich, Tai Wynyard
CAIRNS TAIPANS
How it came to this:
Cairns headed into NBL25 full of hope. The Taipans assembled a potent mix of youth and experience on a budget in the hope of climbing up the ladder.
NBA talent Taran Armstrong looked primed to take another step in his second season in Cairns.
The Taipans recruited strongly, securing import scoring guard Rob Edwards, gifted forward Kyrin Galloway and seasoned back-up guard Kyle Adnam.
But It didn’t take long for their NBL25 campaign to come crashing down.
The Taipans won three of their first four games before a horror 15-game losing streak wrecked any hopes of a playoff berth.
Cairns snapped their losing run with a remarkable win over the ladder leading Illawarra Hawks – something they did twice this season.
That win paved the way for the Taipans to play spoiler, with three wins in their past six games, including a memorable double overtime triumph over the Wildcats in Perth.
Those late-season results are run should give Cairns confidence moving forward.
Key issues:
What’s next for Adam Forde? Out-of-contract at season’s end, there were rumblings mid-season that this would be the beloved mentor’s last with the Taipans, amid talk he could pursue opportunities in Asia or the G League. Local favourite and Forde’s assistant Kerry Williams had emerged as a potential candidate for the top job. Cairns ignored Crosscourt’s request to interview Forde but one rival club official rates the 42-year-old highly: “he’s a quality coach and person” the decision-maker said, watching on with interest at Forde’s next move.
Edwards was gone before the season finished to pursue another basketball opportunity, saving the frugal Taipans some end-of-season wages.
Injuries. Taipans import duo Tanner Groves and Pedro Bradshaw missed significant time in the early stages of the season, while point guard Taran Armstrong also struggled to find time on the floor. These injuries impacted the team’s cohesion and the Taipans never recovered despite displaying energy and effort in most games they played.
Reason for hope:
It’s understood star Kiwi big man Sam Waardenburg – who a source said could command up to $400,000 per season – is not against staying in Cairns.
The Taipans are understood to be keen to lock in the 25-year-old stretch big as a key building block but he will have other potential suitors as one of the most-talented locals in the league.
Kyle Adnam has been a great leader in the locker room and on the floor, especially when Armstrong has missed games and it feels like a no-brainer to keep him on the roster.
ROSTER MATTERS
Contracted: Kody Stattmann (DP)
Option: Kyrin Galloway, (mutual), Kyle Adnam (club), Dillon Stith (club), Alex Higgins-Titsha (DP, club)
Free agent: Sam Waardenburg, Taran Armstrong, Rob Edwards (import), Tanner Groves (import), Pedro Bradshaw (import), Akoldah Gak, Jackson Makoi, Jonah Antonio
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Originally published as NBL Crosscourt: Brisbane Bullets to launch independent review after failed season, what’s next for Cairns Taipans, NZ Breakers
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