The Just Better Care Wollongong Roller Hawks welcome home championship winner Colin Smith for the 2025 season.

 

Smith will complete an unlikely return to top flight basketball when he takes to the court in Round 1, eight years after he last played in the NWBL.

“Love being back with the Roller Hawks. Training has been particularly intense but I feel it will ramp up even more when the season creeps up. I feel like we are all bonding well, we are learning each other's playing styles so we can execute our plays to perfection,” said Smith.

Smith was part of the Roller Hawks’ 2011 and 2012 championship teams but then took a break from the game.

“Came back on the scene with the Blues in 2016 until 2017 and stopped again as I wanted to focus more time into my family.” 

“Fast forward 7 years, I received a message from my brother CJ Grogan from the Darwin Salties asking me to come down and watch a few games as he knows I wasn’t too far from Shellharbour.”

“I never had the idea of coming back until seeing the boys competing against each other. It unlocked something in me again and reignited the fire so to speak.”

It wasn’t until a few old Roller Hawks came calling that the idea of a comeback was really on.

“A few days after watching the games I was messaged by the man himself Eino Okkonen, asking if I would play with the (Division 2) Eagles team for the Slam comp so I said yes. It was then that Brian Gardner introduced himself to me and sorted me with a chair to play in.”

“I started training with them to prep for the tournament. My fitness was horrible but soon came back to what it was. I really enjoyed every bit of it and told the Roller Hawks boys that I was coming back to start training with them. I was welcomed back with open arms and we are training hard, fine tuning and prepping for the NWBL season ahead.” 

Smith’s return to the Roller Hawks is the second full circle moment. He started as a Roller Hawks junior before looking to Sydney for a national league opportunity.

“Back in the day I attended Figtree High, it wasn’t until I was in year 8 that I started playing wheelchair basketball. Luke Pople asked me to come down to the Illawarra Eagles Wednesday night sessions. Played many tournaments with the Eagles and developed my skills in basketball.”

“I wanted to play national league with the Roller Hawks but never got a chance so I went out and tried my luck with a Sydney team. The Razorbacks gave me a shot and that’s all I needed to take my game to the next level. I played two or three years with the Razorbacks before coming back to the Roller Hawks in 2011.” 

Smith was an integral part of the Roller Hawks’ 2011 and 2012 championships and is keen to help the club return to championship glory.

“That was the year that shook the league and most certainly shook the Perth Wheelcats. Running T, Stick, Huss on court as well as Luke and myself who both received junior deductions, we were a formidable force.” 

While there are plenty of familiar faces still lining up for the Roller Hawks, it’s the other new additions that Smith is most excited to work with.

“I have never played with or against Jontee (Brown) so it has been fun learning how he plays and figuring out how I can be the best low pointer for him.” 

“As a low, it is important for me to remember which high pointer I will be working with at any given time and to understand their speed, where they want to shoot from and many other things. 

“Still need to fine tune some things but for the most part I am feeling comfortable with my role and contribution to the Roller Hawks.”

The NWBL season tips off on June 27.