Darwin Salties wheelchair side down Perth Wheelcats
The Darwin Salties wheelchair basketball team knocked off the top placed Wheelcats, rolling away with back-to-back-to-back victories. Read how they did it.
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It was a hat-trick of wins for the Darwin Salties Wheelchair team as they crushed the Perth Wheelcats during their round 3 matchup.
Both sides were littered with Australian representatives, but it was the Wheelcats who came into the weekend as favourites, undefeated in their six games to date.
On home court for the first time in more than 24 months, the Salties proved why they’re the NWBL reigning champions with a gutsy four point victory in game 1.
The side continued their winning form with another victory in the second clash, downing the Cats by 16 points in a 72-56 scoreline.
The third and final game of the round saw the Darwin team complete the hat-trick, defeating Perth comfortably with a 63-46 result.
Hometown hero and Australian representative Tom O’Neil-Thorne couldn’t wipe the smile off his face following the triumphant weekend, stoked with his team’s performances.
“I’m stoked we were able to put a number on them,” he said following their game 2 victory.
“We haven’t really trained together all that much as a group prior to our games against Wollongong.
“So we are still tinkering with line-ups and figuring out who works best together.”
With five Australian listed players, O’Neil-Thorne couldn’t stress enough how dangerous Perth were, saying that the wins will be a huge confidence booster for the season.
“Perth is no joke; their player list is incredible,” he said.
“They’ve had the two best starting point guards in the country for the past year, one being Shaun Norris, who’s one of the greatest players of all time.
“So these wins are big.”
The co-captain also added how happy he was with the introduction of Japanese international Reo Fujimoto, the two hitting up an on-court bromance already.
“He’s a superstar,” O’Neil-Thorne said.
“He’s one of the best players in the world.
“He makes those that play with him look ten-times better.
“We have a similar kind of energy in regards to how we play.
The Salties will face off against Brisbane based Southern Districts Spartans this Friday and Saturday at home.
Game 1
Ft: Darwin 70 def. 66 Perth
Reo Fujimoto – 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 threes
Jaylen Brown – 15 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
Tom O’Neil-Thorne – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 threes
Game 2
Ft: Darwin 72 def. 56 Perth
Jaylen Brown – 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists
Tom O’Neil-Thorne – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals
Jontee Brown – 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Game 3
Ft: Darwin 63 def. 46 Perth
Jaylen Brown – 21 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Tom O’Neil-Thorne – 12 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 threes
Clarence McCarthy-Grogan – 4 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal
Darwin Salties ready for first home match in two seasons
Darwin has not hosted a NWBL match since the 2022 finals, but this weekend they will take on the so far undefeated Perth Wheelcats.
And in the interim the side filled with stars, including a few Territorians, have found success winning the 2023 national championship, putting the rest of the league on notice.
They currently sit 1-2 after a three match series against pinnacle side Wollongong, but in returning home they know they can take their level up a notch.
Joint captain Tom O’Neill-Thorne said the side were pretty similar to those that enjoyed success in recent years and they were super excited to play at home once more.
“We’ve got a pretty similar to the past couple of years, so we’ve had that connection,” O’Neill-Thorne said.
“It was tough going up against Wollongong straight away, they’re the pinnacle team and exploited us in a way, but it was good to see where we were.
“We’re super excited to be in front of a home crowd again, this is why we’re playing and though three games sounds like a lot we’ll take any chance to play in front of friends and family.”
It was a sentiment his fellow captain and fellow Territorian Clarence McCarthy-Grogan shared as the side eyed their second week of competition.
The pair alongside youngster Weston Tedcastle form a strong Territory core in the group, while the likes of major import Reo Fujimoto and 19-year-old Jaylen Brown will also be must-watches.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the home games, because it’s the first time since 2022 that we’ve had this,” McCarthy-Grogan said.
“We’re looking forward to that and just showcasing what wheelchair basketball is all up here in Darwin and the Territory overall.
“We’ve got a really good roster, but we’ve only got to worry about what we can control and focus on our plan for each game.
“Perth are the only undefeated team, so we’re hoping we can cause a few upsets particularly here in front of our home crowd.”
The level of competition has also gone up another level this season as everyone gears up for Paralympic selection, with the comp serving as the perfect lead up.
“Usually we’re missing a couple of Australian players who choose to stay in Europe or America, but this being a Paralympic year everyone is back,” O’Neill-Thorne said.
“We have a really strong league this season, which is awesome going into the Paralympics that we’re playing right up until then, I don’t think we could have better prep.”
Exciting start to Darwin Salties wheelchair championship season
The Darwin Salties wheelchair basketball championship defence got off to an exciting start against a very talented and experienced Wollongong Roller Hawks outfit.
The National Wheelchair Basketball League pitted two of the competition’s best sides against each other in the season opener, and the round more than lived up to expectations.
Darwin is a side filled with talent including locals Tom O’Neill-Thorne and Clarence McCarthy-Grogan, and 2020 Paralympic silver medallist Reo Fujimoto — the Salties first import.
However, the 2023 National Champions fell short on their opening weekend losing 2-1 across the three matches to the Wollongong side.
They were never out of the contest and the three matches included a double overtime match the Roller Hawks won 90-87.
Then despite a high intensity battle the Roller Hawks again got the upper hand in game two to take the win 74-64.
But the Salties held their nerve and showed their full talent to come back from a deficit in the fourth quarter of game three to take their first win of the season 79-73.
“Feels great to not get swept for starters,” McCarthy-Grogan said.
“Coming down here we knew it was going to be three tough games.
“Everyone knows what Reo Fujimoto is all about and it’s just great to have him in the league.
“Not only great for our club but great for the league because it will only help all our Australian players prepare as best as they can leading into Paris but also for the younger generation coming into the league in setting a standard.”
The Rollers return to the Croc Pot for the first time this weekend, where they will face the Perth Wheelcats in front of their home fans.
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