The 2026 Waratah Southern Junior League season concluded over the weekend of 27th–28th June, with teams from across the region gathering at Belconnen Basketball Stadium and Tuggeranong Stadium in Canberra to compete in the season-ending Finals.
More than 70 teams participated across four age groups, all vying for the opportunity to advance through the finals series and claim championship honours in their respective divisions.
Basketball NSW congratulates all athletes, coaches, managers, technical officials, volunteers and association delegates who contributed to another successful Southern Junior League season. Their ongoing commitment and dedication play a vital role in delivering quality representative basketball opportunities across regional New South Wales.
The Finals also served as a qualification event for the inaugural Waratah South-Western Junior Classic, with Division 1 Grand Finalists earning their place in the new competition, which will be held at PCYC Wagga Wagga on 11th–12th July 2026.
The Waratah South-Western Junior Classic will bring together the top teams from the Southern Junior League (SJL) and Western Junior League (WJL) across the Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 age groups for a weekend of high-quality representative basketball. Each team will compete in three games throughout the event, including cross-league matchups and Grand Final rematches, providing valuable competition and preparation ahead of the 2026 State Cup.
The initiative has been developed to strengthen representative pathways across regional New South Wales, while creating meaningful development opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials. The event will also foster stronger connections between basketball communities throughout the Southern and Western regions.
Basketball NSW extends its sincere thanks to Basketball ACT, along with the staff and volunteers at Belconnen Basketball Stadium and Tuggeranong Stadium, for their efforts in delivering a memorable and successful Finals weekend.
Basketball NSW would like to congratulate all the 2026 Waratah Junior League finalists, winners and referees appointed to the grand final matches on their achievements, as listed below:
-
- Under 12 Boys Division 1 Winners – Canberra Gunners Blue
- Under 12 Girls Division 2 Runners Up – Tumut Timberwolves
- Appointed Technical Officials – Kane Badewitz, Will Driscoll
- Under 14 Boys Division 1 Winners – Albury Cougars
- Under 14 Boys Division 1 Runners Up – Canberra Gunners
- Appointed Technical Officials – Will Driscoll, Finn Wood
- Under 14 Boys Division 2 Winners – Shoalhaven Tigers
- Under 14 Boys Division 2 Runners Up – Wagga Wagga Heat
- Appointed Technical Officials – John Oakey Brown, Luke Michie
- Under 14 Boys Division 3 Winners – Shellharbour Bulls
- Under 14 Boys Division 3 Runners Up – Wollondilly Razorbacks
- Appointed Technical Officials – Jett Fenn, Jaxon Coussens
- Under 14 Girls Division 1 Winners – Queanbeyan Roadrunners
- Under 14 Girls Division 1 Runners Up – Albury Cougars
- Appointed Technical Officials – Michael Li, Harrison Gray
- Under 14 Girls Division 2 Winners – Tumut Timberwolves
- Under 14 Girls Division 2 Runners Up – Moss Vale Magic
- Appointed Technical Officials – James Angove, Hugo White
- Under 16 Boys Division 1 Winners – Canberra Gunners Gold
- Under 16 Boys Division 1 Runners Up – Canberra Gunners Blue
- Appointed Technical Officials – Christian Rowell, Harrison Chase
- Under 16 Boys Division 2 Winners – Merimbula Sharks
- Under 16 Boys Division 2 Runners Up – Shellharbour Bulls
- Appointed Technical Officials – Sophie Gerbich, Simone Hackett
- Under 16 Boys Division 3 Winners – Shoalhaven Tigers
- Under 16 Boys Division 3 Runners Up – Wollondilly Razorbacks
- Appointed Technical Officials – Laura Pouliot, Fionn Dougan
- Under 16 Girls Division 1 Winners – Tumut Timberwolves
- Under 16 Girls Division 1 Runners Up – Canberra Nationals Blue
- Appointed Technical Officials – Jackson Romanis, Parker Ivanovski
- Under 16 Girls Division 2 Winners – Queanbeyan Roadrunners
- Under 16 Girls Division 2 Runners Up – Goulburn Bears
- Appointed Technical Officials – Evie Martin, Rooke Johnston
- Under 18 Boys Division 1 Winners – Albury Cougars
- Under 18 Boys Division 1 Runners Up – Canberra Gunners
- Appointed Technical Officials – Rishy Gentry, Tim Bloomfield
- Under 18 Boys Division 2 Winners – Canberra Gunners
- Under 18 Boys Division 2 Runners Up – Wollondilly Razorbacks Black
- Appointed Technical Officials – Georgia Kerr, William Bush
- Under 18 Girls Division 1 Winners – Albury Cougars
- Under 18 Girls Division 1 Runners Up – Canberra Nationals
- Appointed Technical Officials – Katelyn Rawlinson, Rosie Buchaniec
- Under 18 Girls Division 2 Winners – Albury Cougars
- Under 18 Girls Division 2 Runners Up – Shoalhaven Tigers
- Appointed Technical Officials – Murray King, Jack Taylor
Basketball NSW would like to recognise the Most Valuable Players from the 2026 Waratah Junior League finals weekend, listed below:
- Under 12 Boys Division 1 – Hudson Guinard (Canberra Gunners Blue, no. 7)
- Under 12 Boys Division 2 – Beau Beattie (Illawarra Hawks, no. 00)
- Under 12 Girls Division 1 – Ellie McCoy (Illawarra Hawks, no. 8)
- Under 12 Girls Division 2 – Harini Priyankan (Canberra Nationals Gold, no. 00)
- Under 14 Boys Division 1 – Kimbo Kuron (Albury Cougars, no. 28)
- Under 14 Boys Division 2 – Daluwathu De Silva (Shoalhaven Tigers, no. 34)
- Under 14 Boys Division 3 – Cohen Jackson (Shellharbour Bulls, no. 5)
- Under 14 Girls Division 1 – Sienna Penn (Queanbeyan Roadrunners, no. 12)
- Under 14 Girls Division 2 – Losana Emosi (Tumut Timberwolves, no. 41)
- Under 16 Boys Division 1 – Harrison Tracey (Canberra Gunners Gold, no. 8)
- Under 16 Boys Division 2 – Tommy Adams (Merimbula Sharks, no. 5)
- Under 16 Boys Division 3 – Henry Kinch (Shoalhaven Tigers, no. 51)
- Under 16 Girls Division 1 – Callie Thornton (Tumut Timberwolves, no. 82)
- Under 16 Girls Division 2 – Kaydence Phillips (Queanbeyan Roadrunners, no. 9)
- Under 18 Boys Division 1 – Billy Whitfield (Albury Cougars, no. 7)
- Under 18 Boys Division 2 – Cooper Alexander (Canberra Gunners, no. 30)
- Under 18 Girls Division 1 – Poppy Fruean (Albury Cougars, no. 12)
- Under 18 Girls Division 2 – Savannah Bower (Albury Cougars, no. 3)
CLICK HERE to view all final scores and statistics from the 2026 Waratah Southern Junior League, and CLICK HERE to view the Program.
To view the photo gallery from the 2026 Waratah Southern Junior League finals weekend, please CLICK HERE.