A huge week of wheelchair basketball awaits Australia’s top athletes with our national men’s, women’s, 3X3 and Emerging Rollers taking to the court as the road to next year’s World Championships and Commonwealth Games get underway. 

 

The IWBF Asia Oceania Championships will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 7 to 15 November, with the top two from both the men’s and women’s advancing to the 2026 World Championships in Canada.

In the thick of it will be five Roller Hawks led by captain Tristan Knowles; the men’s Rollers team will also feature Luke Pople, Jontee Brown and Steve Elliott while the women’s Gliders team will once again be captained by Hannah Dodd.





The Rollers will play in a round robin in Division A with China, Iran, Japan, Korea and Thailand which will decide rankings ahead of quarter finals which will include the top two teams from Division B (Afghanistan, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, Kuwait, New Zealand, Philippines and Saudi Arabia).

The Gliders are in Division A with China and Japan; the nations will play for semi final rankings with the fourth team to come from Division B (Cambodia, India, Iran, Laos, Philippines and Thailand).

At the same time, qualifiers for next year’s 3X3 Commonwealth Games will also take place with 2022 Gold Medalist Luke Pople suiting up alongside Jontee Brown for the Wombats.

Meanwhile a team of Emerging Rollers including Roller Hawk Jarrod Emeny will compete in Japan.

Hard Work Pays Off

Eight years after winning bronze at the 2018 World Championships, Steve Elliott is back in the green and gold hoping to add a second World Championship berth to his resume. 

“It’s an amazing feeling every time to get to represent your country but it also feels a little weird as I haven’t done it for so long,” said Elliott.

Elliott is the only change to the Rollers team that toured Europe in August and comes after an impressive showing at the final training camp. His inclusion is at the expense of fellow Roller Hawk Tomas Klein.

“I think it started with national league. Having a good environment and being able to train with some of the guys everyday allowed me to be at the level I needed to be to compete at camp.”

“⁠Having so many Rollers in our squad means I can train and build chemistry with players I will be with in lineups and having Sticky as a coach to give guidance on how they wanted us to play.”

The selection is reward for hard work that has seen the 30 year old play back to back seasons for the last four years, splitting his time between Europe and Australia.

“Playing all year round, here we play very differently to Australia - different coaching styles, different roles has made me a better player all round.”

“Being able to play year round at a high level definitely helped. It’s helped me play under contact and pressure, slow down my game and have more control.”

Elliott will travel from Germany to link with the Rollers where he is currently preparing for his second season with the Rhine River Rhinos alongside partner Hannah Dodd.

All games will be broadcast live on the IWBF YouTube Channel


Champions Cup

Generation Next will also be in action this weekend with a team of Emerging Rollers travelling to Japan to compete at the 2025 Kitakyushu Champions' Cup from 7–9 November 2025 in Kitakyushu, Japan.

The national program has experienced a changing of the guard in recent years and the tournament is a chance for the best up and coming players to prove themselves on an international stage.

Flying the flag for the Roller Hawks will be Jarrod Emeny.

“I'm really excited about my first experience with the Rollers,” said Emeny.

The Emerging Rollers will open their campaign with a friendly against Japanese club side Kinki, before two games against both Netherlands and Japan ahead of the final.

“We are looking to have a good couple of competitive games against the Japanese and Netherlands men's teams. Our expectations are to get some team chemistry and flow on court between our younger and more experienced players.”

Emeny has also been chasing basketball around the globe, going from NWBL with the Roller Hawks to college basketball with the University of Illinois over the last two years.

“I got over 120 games under my belt in a short period. This came with a grueling training and travel schedule that makes this week-long trip to Japan much easier to comprehend than when I last travelled with an Australian team for the under 23 World Championships.”

“I am a more confident player and teammate than I was then, I'm ready to show the Rollers I can keep up at an international level.”