NBL1 West grand final: Geraldton Buccaneers secure fourth championship after defeating Warwick Senators

The Geraldton Buccaneers are building on their dynasty, after clinching the 2025 NBL1 West grand final in a three-point thriller against the Warwick Senators — their fourth title overall and second in three seasons. The boys in blue and gold managed to hold off a rampant Warwick outfit in a see-sawing affair, defeating the Senators 81-78. The Buccs’ will return home with a fourth championship flag to hang high in the rafters of Activewest Stadium after a stunning season which just about had it all. It came after the Buccs lost to the Senators only a matter of weeks ago in the first qualifying final, then bouncing back to win the next two finals against Goldfields Giants and Willetton Tigers. Geraldton’s Akeem Springs and Johny Narkle led the way for the Buccs in the championship decider with Springs chalking up 21 points four rebounds and four assists while Narkle secured a vital 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and was awarded grand final MVP. A total of 6116 fans packed RAC Arena on Saturday night to watch the two heavyweights go to work as the Geraldton faithful made their presence heard, filling out the supporters block in full force. A quickfire start for the Buccs came through Liam Hunt, who got to work in the key and set the tone for the game before Narkle followed up with a dunk in the opening possession of the game. The Buccs went into the first break up eight points, 26-18, after impressive shooting from the field, 56 per cent to the Senators’ 26 per cent from the field. Buccs’ Verle Williams provided a spark off the bench early in the period with seven rapid fire points. A bit of a lull on the scoreboard for both sides saw a break in scoring as defences from both were strong. Geraldton went into the main break with a seven-point lead, 40-33. The Buccs, however, found themselves in foul trouble with Narkle already on three fouls heading into the halftime break causing coach Dayle Joseph to steady the ship. “The focus came down to trust, trust in where we were in the game and what we were doing,” Joseph said. “We managed to rest those players who had a few (fouls) to their name and regroup at the breaks. “You know Johny (Narkle) was on three and so was Liam (Hunt) so that meant we had to trust our system and we did.” The life got sucked out of the stadium when the Buccs lost Hunt with a suspected knee injury early in the third period after leading the way for the Buccs on the scoreboard. Warwick fought back with an undermanned Buccs side until the Buccs’ crowd erupted at the sight of Hunt walking out of the tunnel to the side of the court with heavy strapping to his left knee after an apparent hyperextension. The Senators managed to stay in the contest in the third only trailing by three points at the close of the third period. Hunt picked up his fourth personal foul soon after returning to the court, forcing Joseph to sit him out to save him for the final period. Warwick targeted Hunt in the final period and manged to get him fouled out, ending the Buccs’ big man’s night. Warwick drew even on the scoreboard at 62 apiece before Springs sank a three in the corner to put the Buccs back in front with five minutes left in the contest. While Senators’ scoring machine Elijah Pepper still starred with a game-high 33 points and got his team within one point with seven seconds to go with a three-pointer, the Buccs managed to keep their high-scoring opponents, who have averaged 109.5 points this season, to just 78. The Senators’ success beyond the arc also deserted them, scoring at 19 per cent instead of their season average of 41 per cent. Geraldton managed to hold on and secure 2025 NBL1 West championship, downing the Warwick Senators in front of a bumper crowd to end the season — delivering their fourth championship in the club’s history, their second in three years and third in the last seven years. Joseph, Hunt, captain Aaron Ralph and veteran Mat Wundenberg have all been a part of the Buccs’ last three championships. Joseph said the support through the contest from the Geraldton locals was immense. “It was just amazing,” he said. “To have as many fans as we did there was incredible. “I just have to thank the Geraldton locals and the Geraldton community.” Now with three championships to his name, Hunt said it was an incredible effort from the entire Buccs organisation to deliver the goods and get the team to the grand final. “I can’t ask for a better club,” Hunt said. “The whole town, the whole fan base and the whole team just pushed me across the line. “And that rubs off on all of us as players, to push to perfection. “It’s just a fantastic group of players, we had our backs against the wall and absorbed a lot of pressure but we got the job done and we couldn’t be happier as a club and as a team.” After a season that just about had it all, Joseph said all the ups and downs were worth it to now be able to hang a fourth championship from the roof of Activewest Stadium. “I am really proud of the group,” Joseph said. “We had injuries along the way, we had guys miss a lot of trainings late in the season due to that but we pulled through. “The boys managed to get the job done and it was real team effort across the board.” Joseph paid tribute to his players. “It’s all these guys, they do all the work ... all the hard stuff,” he said. “We owed ourselves one, that’s the one from last year (prelim final loss). We owed that to ourselves, to put the work in and make sure we got there.” Star of the night Narkle, who was awarded finals MVP and is set to join the NBL next season with the Illawarra Hawks, said the support of his family and the fans meant the world. “They’re the sixth man on the bench, they just bring the energy each time ... thanks for getting us over the line every time we play in a close game,” he told the fans. Sixth man of the year Verle Williams said it was a tremendous effort to go from starting the season 4-4 to clinching the grand final against a great team. “To hold them (the Senators) to under 80 is what we preach all season ... we knew if we did that, we’d win the game,” he said. Williams also thanked the fans, especially those who made the trek down to Perth. “It just shows how much the community in Geraldton support us and that’s why we want to give back to them and we just want to say thank you and we appreciate you,” he said. Buccs assistant coach and inaugural 1989 captain Aaron Ducas said the fan base support week in, week out come “rail hail or shine” was second to none. After the match, Ducas spoke alongside Hunt, whose father Dan he played alongside of. “I used to change his nappies,” Ducas exclaimed. Ducas also joked about how the Buccs’ triumph compared to his son Alex Ducas being part of a NBA championship winning team. “His was just an NBA championship. Mine’s a bit better,” he said. There is no rest yet for the Buccs, who will take their talented squad to Canberra for the NBL1 2025 National Finals. First off, they face the West Adelaide Bearcats on Friday, August 29.