Back at it for the start of the 2026 NWBL and WNWBL season with RGK

Sunrise Medical Ambassador Tim Rushby-Smith

Back at it.

We are now ten weeks out from the start of the 2026 NWBL and WNWBL season, and it’s looking like it will be a cracker.

There have been some major personnel changes, with the demise of the Darwin Salties, and a number of significant other signings that we see some familiar faces in new colours.

This year also sees the Victoria Marvels unveiled for the NWBL, joining the Victoria Wonders who played in the WNWBL last season.

At the Rollerhawks, we are delighted to be welcoming Aussie Roller Phil Evans, who joins us after many years with the Perth Wheelcats. This signing has been made possible through the support of our Platinum Partner, RGK Wheelchairs.

So, we are back in training. Some of us have never really stopped, while others (and I am most definitely in this category) are working on getting some fitness back, and trying to get through drills without throwing up/passing out/whinging too much.  We have scrimmaged most of the year round, but there is a definite sense of intensity increasing as the serious work begins.

What I’m most conscious of is not the physical fitness, although this does hurt, particularly if you are in the ‘veteran’ age category, which I most definitely am. Instead, it’s the mental sharpness and quick decision making.

In wheelchair basketball, being even slightly out of position means getting punished. The wheelchair has a significant footprint, and while the able-bodied version of the game takes advantage of sudden changes in direction or sidestepping to recover, we have no second chances. Once your opponent has ‘chair position’ the only way to stop them is through switching with a team-mate or committing a foul. All of this happens in the blink of an eye, of course, while one has plenty of time afterwards to regret decisions made too slowly or just plain wrongly.

This weekend also sees the first round of the 2026 GTK Waratah Wheelchair League, which is the New South Wales state competition. It provides a great opportunity for both upcoming players and those without a disability to compete. This represents two of the most important elements of wheelchair basketball.

Firstly, for the future of the sport, we need competition at every level. There needs to be a pathway from the new player’s first push all the way up to the Paralympics.\

Secondly, we need a thriving social community around the sport, so that new people feel welcome and supported. Many players find themselves playing wheelchair basketball because they were introduced to it by a friend or family member and were surprised to discover that it’s an inclusive sport. I may be biased, but from what I’ve seen in others too, wheelchair basketball can be very addictive.

Well, addictive enough to get me through the drills.