The plane tickets to Paris will be pushed to one side as six members of Australia’s freshly named men’s wheelchair basketball team for the 2024 Paralympics, resume hostilities in the National Wheelchair Basketball League this weekend. 

 

The Just Better Care Wollongong Roller Hawks sit on top of the NWBL ladder and will host second placed Perth Wheelcats who have four Rollers in the team for Paris. Shaun Norris, Frank Pinder, Tom McHugh and Phil Evans will lead a Perth side in three games at Shellharbour City Stadium with two games on Saturday (12pm & 7pm) and one game on Sunday (11am).

It comes just a week after the final twelve players for Paris 2024 were named after a series of games in Melbourne against Japan, led by Roller Hawk and Australian captain Tristan Knowles.

“It’s getting to that really exciting stage and I think we’ve got the twelve players that can get the job done if we’re really on our game,” said Knowles.

“Our focus last week was really getting into the detail of our game. I think we’ve established a really exciting brand of basketball that we’ve played over the course of this year which we all have full faith in.”

Knowles confirmed his ticket to his sixth Paralympics.

“I certainly don’t take it for granted. I haven’t looked much beyond Paris, not wanting to get too far ahead but the reality is this will probably be my last but I haven’t locked that in for sure.”

“For now I’m just 100% focused on Paris, doing everything I need to do to make sure the team’s successful. I’m literally just enjoying each day as it comes and each moment with teammates, and just really lapping that up.”

The final twelve included Knowles as well as Wollongong teammate Luke Pople who will make his Paralympic debut.

“I had a phone call with my mum, my brother and my partner. They were all very happy, it was a call full of tears,” said Pople.

Being named comes after missing the final cut for Tokyo in 2021.

“Doing all the hard work and not getting there, it sucks, but getting the nod this time knowing that I have done the hard work. It just shows that hard work does pay off and you can be going to your first Paralympics at age 33.”

Unfortunately teammate Shawn Russell won’t be there alongside the pair. After being part of the team that qualified in Thailand and toured to Europe and the US, he missed the final cut, the Rollers opting for Darwin’s Jaylen Brown instead. 

But he’ll be very much needed this weekend to take on Perth with the Roller Hawks missing key members Hannah Dodd (WNWBL) and Nick Taylor (overseas).

“That really does hurt us as far as the rotations we can run. There’s going to be some guys asked  to play some huge minutes and that’s going to be tough against a team like Perth. But we’re up for it,” said Knowles.

All three games are at Shellharbour City Stadium with Game 2 on Saturday night live streamed on the WBA Youtube Channel. Entry is $5 for adults and kids under 12 are free.

NWBL Round 4

Just Better Care Wollongong Roller Hawks vs Perth Wheelcats @ Shellharbour City Stadium

Saturday 13th July @ 12pm

Saturday 13th July @ 7pm

Sunday 14th July @ 11am