Jamie-Lee Peris signs with the Darwin Salties
The next few months are shaping up as some of the most exciting for a Territory hoops star, signing with the Darwin Salties as her 13-1 Jets storm into another finals campaign.
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The next few months are shaping up to be some of the most exciting for Darwin basketball veteran Jamie-Lee Peris.
With her Tracy Village Jets enjoying a 13-1 Women’s Championship Season with one game to play before another finals campaign, Peris also recently signed with the Darwin Salties.
It was a major dream achieved for the Territory star centre, who made a concerted effort to improve her fitness and win a spot on the roster for the franchise’s second NBL1 North season.
After accepting an offer to have breakfast with coach Rod Tremlett a few weeks into 2023, Peris was stoked to realise the coffee came with a contract offer.
“I was very, very excited,” Peris said of being offered a one-year deal at the Croc Pot.
Peris, who was forced to move down south to pursue her basketball career, said it was close to a career-best highlight to represent her home town.
“I don’t think I’ve done that since I was 12 or 13,” Peris said.
“That was my goal from last year, getting fit and having a good season.
“Losing that extra weight, I feel really good, I can run faster.”
With the Salties’ pre-season training starting this week, Peris has been recruited to score plenty of boards while applying scoreboard pressure.
And she will enter the NBL1 North season with solid, relevant numbers for the Jets: second for free throw percentage, third for total rebounds, defensive boards, average rebounds and total free throws made, fourth for total offensive boards, and fifth for average points.
Her Jets are also approaching another finals campaign, suffering just one loss from 14 matches with an average winning margin of 29 points.
She said a few injury niggles was the reason behind the team’s 17-point loss to Lightning earlier this month.
“Nothing was clicking,” she said.
“It’s a wake up call, that we’re not going to be undefeated,
“We are a team to beat, but we’re not invincible.”
Peris has drawn on the experiences of Jets teammates Tania Dhu, Tikesa Docherty-Cole and Kylie Duggan who were all on the Salties roster last season.
“It’s not going to be like the Darwin comp, bigger bodies, fitter bodies, more skilled players,” she said.
“So you’ve got to work your arse off.
“It’s weird because I was in the crowd last year (laughs).
“Now I’m going to be on the court, so it’s a good change. I cannot wait.”
Ambros Eugster re-signs with the Darwin Salties
With his first baby on the way, a promising new job and basketball finals looming, it’s been a big 2023 already for recently re-signed Darwin Saltie Ambros Eugster.
The gun Eagle, a former Being Mentors disability worker, is currently training to become a Darwin corrections officer.
And with a basketball court at the centre, he could be coaching inmates how to play hoops one day soon.
“There’s a lot going on at the moment,” Eugster told this publication with a laugh.
“I was looking for something a bit more substantial (with work), a bit more stability with a new bub coming.”
The 27-year-old, who has been carving up the Darwin Championship Season since the Salties season wrapped up after a quarterfinal loss, is pumped to be back for season two at the Croc Pot.
He said there was never any chance of him landing anywhere else in 2023, after playing with the Hobart Chargers in NBL1 the previous season.
“I’m pretty settled here with Salties, I was very happy with the season and how everything went,” Eugster said.
“I’m about to have my first child, so I think we’re going to settle here for a bit.”
Eugster feels far more prepared for his second Salties season, producing strong numbers (first for total assists, fourth for offensive boards) with the second-placed Eagles.
“I took it upon myself to do a bit of everything,” he said.
“Scoring a little bit more and just trying to find the open player a bit better.
“So I can take it into the Salties season.”
Eugster said he was positive the Salties would improve on their 2022 efforts, with coach Matt Flinn adding Tasmania JackJumper Sean Macdonald and Viliami Foketi from the Mackay Meteors to the mix.
“The players they’re bringing in, they’re next level,” he said, keen to play more “big minutes” at the end of games.
“I’m excited to play with Sean, he’s a great young guard coming through the league.”
Eugster was also keen to see the Salties’ strong off-court chemistry strengthen further.
“The camaraderie we formed last year, I’m excited to build on that,” he said.
“That was Flinny’s biggest thing for recruiting in the first year, getting guys that are good people.
“It’s going to build that brotherhood.”
Meanwhile, Eugster is also one of a few local basketballers playing a high standard of Aussie Rules in Darwin, including Jacob Long (St Mary’s and Darwin Dingoes) and Kayden Malseed (PINT and Razzle/Cannons).
Eugster, who first arrived in the Territory in 2020 winning a championship with the Eagles, rocked up to Banks Football Club training simply to enhance his fitness base.
In fact, Eugster was a promising junior footballer with Dodges Ferry in Tasmania before his parents said he had to choose.
He played two Men’s Premier League Reserves games in 2022-23 on the sly before his Salties contract was signed.
“I didn’t actually tell Flinny that I was playing footy,” he said.
“When that season finished I kind of kept it quiet.
“Hoping no injuries came out of it.
“Now that I’ve signed the contract, I think I have to put footy on the backburner for now.”
Makuach Maluach returns to the Croc Pot
One of the Darwin Salties’ most popular players will return to the Croc Pot in 2023 after a fruitful development season in the NBL.
Makuach Maluach, who was picked up by Melbourne United after just a handful of games in the 2022 NBL1 North season, has re-signed with the franchise.
The 24-year-old was arguably Darwin’s most influential player in its opening campaign, a vital piece of a dynamic offensive formation with heart-and-soul skipper Jerron Jamerson and assist ace Tad Dufelmeier.
However, Maluach said his game had been fine-tuned down south, leaning on the likes of veteran Brad Newley for guidance.
While Maluach has contributed at various times during the 2022-23 season – a 10-point performance against Cairns Taipans in November being his most productive – he had been sidelined in recent rounds due to illness.
But Maluach has come to better understand the daily demands of being a professional sportsperson, from diet to mental application.
“I look at the game a lot different,” Maluach said.
“Learning from those guys has really benefited me ... they give me great advice every day.
“Taking care of your body ... your body is your temple.
“As long as your body and your mind is sharp, you can achieve so many great things.”
Maluach is well aware of the fortunate position he is in; thankful for landing at an “amazing” club like United.
“Playing for a club like Melbourne United is not something that everyone gets,” he said.
“I’m grateful to be part of his team. I love it here.
“Being coached by somebody like Dean Vickerman, you don’t get that every day.
“Basketball can be repetitive ... they still come to work with smiles on their faces.
“I think that’s really important and something I want to carry on for the rest of my career.”
However, Maluach is determined to blaze his own trail, with hopefully a title in his debut NBL season by the time he arrives at Marrara.
“Obviously my career is not going to be like theirs, I want to write my own story,” he said.
Remaining in regular contact with Salties coach Matt Flinn during his time at United, Maluach had considered playing the NBL1 season in Melbourne.
“Going back to Darwin and playing there was the best option,” he said.
“The weather, the people there, their love for basketball, the community really got behind us.
“I missed that and I’m looking forward to getting that all over again for this season coming up.
“I’m ready to go back.”
While the Salties have so far added Tasmania JackJumper guard Sean MacDonald and award-winning Mackay Meteor defender Viliami Foketi to its roster, Maluach said he wasn’t sure how his role would change in 2023.
“Whatever the team and ‘Flinny’ needs, that’s what I’ll provide,” he said.
“As long as we win, I’m happy, I’m simple.
“If that means I have to be more aggressive, to win games, I’ll be more aggressive.
“I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Salties snap up Tasmania JackJumper for 2023 season
Darwin needs a vision that its potential fan base can fully embrace if the Territory was to be gifted an NBL licence, a freshly-signed Saltie says.
Tasmania JackJumper Sean Macdonald has been unveiled as the franchise’s latest recruit for the 2023 NBL1 North campaign, following the likes of Jerron Jamerson, Viliami Foketi, Chelsea Brook, Erin Bollmann and Ruby Porter in recent weeks.
The 22-year-old Victorian guard has improved his game this NBL season – stepping up after the loss of captain Clint Steindl to injury – and is getting more court time with the “Jackies” in their second-ever campaign.
A development player in 2021-22, Macdonald is averaging 6.5 points per match in 2022-23 with a season-best 14 against Melbourne United in late November.
With the JackJumpers making the grand final series in their debut season against the Sydney Kings, Macdonald said the franchise had built a strong connection between the squad and its fans.
And with discussions ongoing between the NT Government and the NBL about a potential licence bid, a Territory-based franchise needed a powerful brand local fans could adopt with open arms.
“We have our little motto: Defend the Island,” Macdonald said, who recently penned a two-year deal with the JackJumpers.
“It’s a real culture of where we’re a team the whole state can get behind.
“It also comes into our style of play, we were labelled not the most talented group but we just have a lot of hard working guys who go out and give it their all.
“That makes it easy for fans to get behind when they see that sort of effort and culture that’s been built.
“That is probably one of the most important things.”
Macdonald’s journey to the Croc Pot began after his time up north for the NBL Blitz in September.
Not long after, Salties coach Matt Flinn reached out to Macdonald’s agent and conversations began.
Macdonald had been impressed by Marrara’s facilities and its atmosphere – even during weekday matches – which ultimately influenced his decision.
“The stadium was cool, the atmosphere in Darwin, getting good crowds all week pretty much,” he said.
“It sounded like something I’d like to be a part of.
“A great group of guys from last year, a well-run program.
“Darwin seems like a nice place, some warm weather in the winter months … a nice change up from Tassie.
“Hopefully (I can) bring some of what we’ve grown at the ‘Jackies’ this year.”
Macdonald, originally from Carnegie in Melbourne’s southeast, was also sold on the franchise’s need for him to be a leader, both on and off the court.
Assessing his season with Salties as another chance to develop – including his overall aggression, defence and on-court voice – he wants to finetune his “finishing package” and take the shots expected of him.
“I guess that has been my progression as a player (this season), be more of a leader and a vocal guy on the team,” he said.
Viliami Foketi signs with the Darwin Salties
New Darwin Salties recruit Viliami Foketi was lured further north by the budding franchise’s unique “energy”, the award-winning defender says.
The 26-year-old of Tongan ancestry, who played his last two NBL1 North campaigns with the Mackay Meteors, winning a title in 2021, had been reasonably settled in Queensland.
However, his career trajectory took a sudden turn after taking a call from Salties coach Matt Flinn post-season, asking if he wanted to play at the Croc Pot in 2023.
“Honestly, Darwin came out of nowhere,” Foketi said, a talented junior soccer player who only took up hoops around 16.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all.
“(But) it’s the best move for me.”
The Tongan international, who was born and raised in Sydney, had a previous relationship with Flinn when he was marshalling the Illawarra Hawks several years ago.
Foketi, who has a goal of reaching the NBL, had joined the Hawks in a train-on position, and that early-career relationship played a “big part” in his final decision.
“Flinny was the only coach at the time who liked my game,” he said.
“We had a mutual respect. I was a young ... I didn’t talk to a whole bunch of people, I was just trying to absorb and take everything in.
“I’m a pretty loyal person ... I actually kept Flinny waiting a long time because I was in two minds about what I should do.”
Foketi is also firm friends with Jerron Jamerson and Chelsea Brook, linchpins with both the men’s and women’s teams.
“It was a whole bunch of things to be honest,” he said of his reasons to join the Salties.
“I was just really impressed, I think they had a sold out crowd every game except one (in 2022).”
Eventually signing on the dotted line, Foketi said he was “just elated” to be heading to the Top End in February.
He said Darwin had created a certain vibe that was not easily replicated at other NBL1 franchises.
“There’s just an energy there that not many, if any, clubs had,” he said.
“Darwin was definitely the best.”
Foketi said Mackay was obviously disappointed with his departure, but he left with the blessing of coach Joel Khalu, with whom he had a very tight relationship.
“It’s more than just basketball, he was the guy who gave me that opportunity two years ago,” he said.
“He understands my aspirations.
“He was like: ‘Go and do your thing’, if I ever needed any advice his line is always open.
“It’s all love between us two.”
Foketi, who won Mackay’s best defender award in 2021, was looking forward to ironing out a few weaknesses in his game:
“Flinny’s always been a great shooter so I’m hoping he can help me with that.”
Erin Bollmann plays Darwin basketball with one hand
After returning to play Darwin basketball with just one healthy hand after a long term wrist injury, Darwin Saltie Erin Bollmann has a renewed fire to extend her playing career.
The US import is expected to be included in the Salties squad for 2023 for its second NBL1 North campaign, after the right hand injury halted her season dead in its tracks.
After taking on an assistant coaching role alongside Rod Tremlett in 2022 to close out the year, Bollmann has since guided the Ellas Titans men’s team in the Darwin Championship Season.
However, Titans teammate Amy List revealed Bollmann had returned to the court in late October, effectively playing with one hand in her first match, where she scored 14 points and pulled down 10 boards against Uni Rebels
“The first game I played I wrapped it up to where I couldn’t even touch the ball with it,” Bollmann said.
“I actually played one handed the first game.
“It was pretty difficult, you don’t realise how much you use the other hand until you don’t have it anymore.”
The following week, she began dribbling and completing lay-ups with the injured hand, after consulting her doctor.
“They told me they don’t know if it’s ever going to be 100 per cent again but they’re going to do everything they can to get it there,” she said.
“The last game I felt really good.”
Which is something of an understatement, with Bollmann shooting 37 points and totalling 19 rebounds and 10 assists against the Eagles.
After seven games with the Titans, Bollmann is second in the competition for average points and total match points; third for average assists and total blocks; fourth for free throw and three point percentage and fifth for total assists.
And with a new Salties season fast approaching, Bollmann says she is energised about her playing career, with an eye on the WNBL.
This time last year, Bollmann thought the Salties’ debut season would actually be her last, after coaching in the G League in the states with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
“I realised I want to go as far as I can in Australia, get to the WNBL and play as long as my body lets me,” she said.
“It starts somewhere and it starts with the Darwin Salties.
“It’s a great program that will help boost me to that next level.
“I’m excited to lead this team to something greater than ourselves.”
She said a fire has been burning for several months since the mid-season wrist injury.
“(I’m) slowly getting back into it where I don’t know why I ever thought I wanted to take a day off,” she said.
“I can’t wait to get back in there.”
Tremlett said he had preferred Bollmann started her playing return until after Christmas, but “she’s a pretty strong willed young lady”.
“But she knows her body ... she was dying not playing, that’s for sure,” Tremlett said.
“She’s enjoying her basketball again which is a real positive for the Salties.”
Jerron Jamerson returns for the Darwin Salties
A lack of focus at the business end of the season cost the Darwin Salties crucial momentum in its debut campaign, re-signed star forward Jerron Jamerson says.
The Salties’ second NBL1 North foray is off to a strong start with last year’s skipper returning to the Croc Pot with their season kicking off on March 25 with a home court battle against Southern Districts Spartans.
Arguably the franchise’s most popular Saltie in 2022, alongside Nate Jawai and the mercurial Makuach Maluach – who is also rumoured to also be returning up north – Jamerson has enjoyed a solid tune up in the Darwin Championship Season with the fourth-placed Tracy Village Jets.
And with a whopping total of 93 points from the opening pair of his six matches so far this season, Jamerson has also been in and out of the country in recent months, taking part in 3x3 tournaments in both Egypt and Taiwan.
Jamerson admitted he knew he wanted to return after the sting of losing a qualifying final to USC Rip City by three points back in August.
He has also established a sturdy relationship with coach Matt Flinn, who he speaks to almost every day.
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve had,” Jamerson said.
“It would have to be something drastically crazy to happen for me to not want to come back again.
“I think we’re building something that has a bright future.”
Signing up on a one-year deal (“I’ll more than likely be back after that”), Jamerson is keen to captain the squad again and help them take the opportunities they missed in season one, like dropping several late season games they should have won.
He said the Salties had to “stay the course” in 2023, after suffering from defensive “slippage” and a misfiring offence which cost them a few ladder positions over the final rounds.
“We weren’t really locked in as a team defensively,” he said.
“And offensively we were a little bit all over the place sometimes.
“I think we’ve got to be a bit more patient offensively.”
Jamerson refused to admit the tyranny of distance had impacted their results, with the team having to catch red eye flights for Queensland road trips.
“You could say yes to a certain degree,” he said.
“But I’m not really the type of person who tries to make excuses.
“That’s what you signed up for when you signed the contract.
“At the end of day, it’s our job as players to be ready to go play.”
He highlighted an emotional Round 1 win over Red City Roar – dedicated to fallen comrade Alier Riak – and a home town victory over heavyweights Gold Coast Rollers in July as the biggest highlights from last season.
“There was insane energy in the building,” he said of the Gold Coast win.
“The energy in the building just propelled us to that victory.”
Jamerson also said he was blown away by local attendances, both at Marrara and soaring online viewership, which reportedly led the nation across all NBL1 conferences.
“It was fantastic, it exceeded every one of my expectations,” he said.
“Some people had never even seen basketball games (before).
“It was beyond belief and this season can only get better.”
Chelsea Brook returns to the Croc Pot
With star centre Chelsea Brook returning to Marrara, the Darwin Salties women’s team is primed to take the opportunities they missed in season one, coach Rod Tremlett says.
The recently re-signed mentor said improved communication channels between the playing group and coaching staff, a tweaked game plan and the anticipated return of Erin Bollmann would make a big difference in 2023.
Tremlett, who admitted it was “almost a lifelong pursuit” to see the Salties come to fruition in NBL1 North, expected to make the playoffs after the “massive unknown” of its inaugural campaign, finishing 13th.
He said he was “largely happy” with their debut efforts, which was ultimately cruelled by the loss of Bollmann to a wrist injury in August and the dropping of gettable games over the closing rounds.
“We get a bit of a free swing at it in the first year, but now it’s knuckle down time and look to make those playoffs,” he said.
“We want to be seen as a long-term proposition.
“Everyone’s doubling their efforts so we can take a step further.”
He said player feedback would be bolstered with weekly meetings, aiding overall decision making.
“I found out a few things at the end of the season that would have been good to know during the season.”
It was an emotional ride for Tremlett in 2023, from an opening round victory against Red City Roar – which brought family members to tears – to Bollmann’s forced absence.
Until then, her connection with Brook – who has been playing with Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL – had been starting to flourish, Tremlett believes.
“It made it really tough,” he said.
“We lost a lot of impetus when Erin went down.
“She was our key playmaker, and lot of stuff we did was kind of built around her.
“All those things broke down. It just put us back a long way.”
On a personal level, it took some adjustment to have hundreds of local fans judging his coaching abilities.
“It was a big difference between coaching at the elite level in front of 1200 people and running a session for 25 talented Under 16 kids at the Marrara stadium with nobody there,” he said.
“That first four or five weeks ... I was pinching myself that this is actually happening.
“This had been a 15, 20-year dream.”
He said his squad – nine players have signed up so far – would be better prepared this season, with a few familiar faces returning.
“I know what’s coming now, in terms of recruitment we’re way ahead of where we were this time last year,” he said.
Matt Flinn opens up on ‘significant’ challenge in 2023
The Darwin Salties are eyeing off a number of high performing local players to beef-up a 15-man squad ahead of its second NBL1 North season, recently re-signed coach Matt Flinn says.
In an exclusive interview with the NT News, Flinn, who has spent the past few months retooling his team since the franchise’s season ended in a qualifying final loss to USC Rip City in August, said the likes of Kayden Malseed and Freddy Webb were on his radar.
The former is crushing the Darwin Championship Season, leading the competition for average and total match points, free throw and three point percentage, steals and free throws made.
Flinn said he was “really excited” about the program he was assembling for year two, bringing in new talent – as yet unnamed players on the cusp of being solid NBL contributors – while retaining elements of his existing core group.
“I certainly feel a responsibility to Darwin and to the franchise to put a team on the floor that can potentially push for a title,” Flinn said.
“There’s a few tough decisions which have to be made.
“I want to build this thing and I want to be there as long as I can.”
However, there are still spots up for grabs on the roster with trials to be held in late January.
After learning valuable lessons in 2022, Flinn said he was fully committed to turning the franchise into “something bigger”, making the city proud and a “destination point” for players wanting to improve.
In a sign of progress, Flinn said the Salties had received interest from high school leavers – including in NSW and South Australia – to use Marrara as a training base before going to US colleges later in the year.
“Word has got around ... that this is a place where you can get better,” he said.
Giving the Salties a B+ for its debut year, he was mindful of complacency after achieving several goals in 2022: making the playoffs, playing an exciting brand of basketball which drew fans and having an impact in the community.
“We definitely have room for improvement,” Flinn said.
“I’ve got room to improve, the roster’s got room to improve.
“Everyone across the organisation is hungry to improve. I think that’s a really important thing for growth.”
Meanwhile, an independent review of the franchise also highlighted the tyranny of distance as an ongoing, “significant” challenge for players and staff.
He said some players had struggled with catching red eye flights: “We did it tough, I can tell you that.”
However, his charges showed tough road trips could still equate to success, knocking off league leaders Northside Wizards by nine points in June.
“We beat a team that was really good and we did it off a red eye,” he said.
“There wasn’t a lot of complaints from the playing group, they just kinda got on with it, and that’s a testament to their character.
“Is it a challenge? Absolutely.
“We’re working really hard to fix that schedule, but there’s a lot of moving parts there.
“I think we’re going to be in a better space (after the first season).”
Flinn told that review the point of the Salties was to create a “linear path” to the NBL, indicating was why the likes of former Lakeside Lightning player Malseed had returned home rather than stay in Perth for the coming NBL1 season.
While the Salties are set to announce a number of new recruits, Flinn said his “no d--khead” policy of last season would remain.
“We’re going to go back to that culture and that culture will never change while I’m around,” he said.
“We have a lot of guys who want to return.”
However, in a major plus for big name recruitment, the Salties became one of the most popular teams in NBL1 last year, with bulging crowds at the Croc Pot and online.
“I was told by the NBL that our team was the most streamed team in NBL1 in Australia by far,” he said.
“It was daylight second. There’s a lot of eyeballs on what we’re doing.”
In short, Flinn appears more excited about season two than his inaugural Marrara foray.
“We’re not bringing in guys who are on their way out, we’re bringing guys who have massive careers ahead of them,” he said.
“They’re jumping in for what we’re doing and what the city stands for.”
Originally published as Jamie-Lee Peris signs with the Darwin Salties
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