The Wollongong Roller Hawks are national champions once again after capping an incredible finals run with a 72-65 win over the Queensland Spinning Bullets in a thrilling gold-medal match on Sunday.
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The win completed a remarkable weekend for the Roller Hawks, who had to battle through three sudden death games and beat each of the other three finalists to to claim back to back national crowns.
“Three big games always takes its toll,” Hawks centre Michael Auprince said.
“When that fatigue starts setting in, it’s great to be able to rely on your strengths and the strengths of your teammates to be able to help you out if you are having a rough game in one area. Whether it’s focusing on rebounding, defence, picking or shooting the ball, each player does what they can to get that win.
“Brisbane are a quality side. They have an almost unbreakable press that pushed us for the full 40 minutes. We had a game plan and stuck to it throughout, something that pleased both the players and [coach] Brendan [Cowler].”
Finals MVP Brett Stibners finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the game to average 26.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 9 assists across the weekend. He was one of three Hawks in double figures, with Auprince managing 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Nick Taylor finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Luke Pople had nine points, eight boards and seven assists. Shawn Russell added seven points but it was his speed on defensive end that helped change the game, while Tim Markcrow dominated the minutes among the Hawks’ low pointers. Tom O’Neill-Thorne was the standout for the Bullets with a game-high 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists but it wasn’t enough to get his side home.
“I was confident going into the final,” Stibners said.
“What won the game for us was our defence. Everyone who hit the court was committed at the defensive end and it really payed off. It was a very satisfying win after a difficult season.”
The visitors got out to a fast start, racing to a 9-2 advantage, with Stibners grabbing nine of his side’s 19 points in the opening quarter. The home side found their groove in the second, with O’Neill-Thorne dropping 18 points, including four triples, on 25-12 run for a seven-point lead at halftime.
The Hawks made their move in the third, chipping away at Queensland’s lead, with O’Neill-Thorne and Stibners trading baskets in the final minute of the quarter to lock things up at 56-all with a quarter to play.
Auprince got the final quarter underway with an easy score underneath the basket, sparking an 11-3 run for the Hawks. O’Neill-Thorne closed the gap to 5 with 3:16 remaining but that was as close as they got, with Stibners sealing the win from the free-throw line as time wound down.
Coach Brendan Dowler remained poised throughout, not panicking as the Bullets went on a run.
“They are a good team, so we had to stay calm and ride it out,” Dowler said..
“We also rotated a few players in the second with the intention that it would pay off later in the game. We knew that if we stuck with what we were doing it would turn around and while you don't really want to be behind, we weren't panicking about the 6 point deficit and knew that we could overcome that.”
