“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
This weekend (25th – 28th of April) marks the upcoming ANZAC Round, falling on the fourth round of the league, in which the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 will honour the Australian and New Zealand service men and women.
Teams across the conference will honour the ANZACs in a variety of ways, from pre-and-post game ceremonies to specially designed uniforms, NBL1 East teams will show their respect for our service men and women in this standout round.
NBL1 General Manager, Dean Anglin, said that the significance and meaning of the round grows every year, as the ANZAC Medal tradition was introduced nationally last year, and returns for 2024.
“Each year the importance of this round seems to grow, as we honour those men and women who have served and are serving Australia and New Zealand. For our players, coaches and officials to be able to dedicate a round towards upholding the spirit of the ANZAC’s is so special for the league,” said Anglin.
Following the conclusion of each game, the Coaches and Referees will award one player with the ANZAC Round Medal. This will be presented to the player that best epitomises the ANZAC Spirit of endurance, courage and mateship in each game. In total, 113 medals will be awarded from games played between the 25th April to the 28th April.
With six games falling on ANZAC day (Thursday the 25th of April), game-day proceedings will include all (or some) of the following traditions: an Acknowledgement of Country, the Australian National Anthem, the Ode of Remembrance, the Last Post will be played, followed by a Minute’s Silence and sounding of the Rouce.
The Bankstown Bruins and Illawarra Hawks Men and Women will also be suiting up in specially designed uniform for the ANZAC Round, that pays homage and tribute to the ANZAC spirit, and all the service men and women that have served our nation.
The Illawarra Hawks will be hosting the Sutherland Sharks on ANZAC Day for the NBL1 East Game of the Week, where both teams will be looking for a win as well as the Freeway Cup title. The silverware was introduced last year, to commemorate the rivalry and to commemorate the significance of the game, which was also played on ANZAC Day in 2023.
All games will be streamed live and free on NBL1.com.au and the NBL1 App, whilst the Game of the Week will be on Kayo Freebies.
Head to the NBL1 website or the NBL1 App to see the schedule for the ANZAC Round.
We will remember them. Lest we forget.