Mandurah Magic and Willetton Tigers to clash for NBL1 West championship at RAC Arena

Mandurah Magic captain Joel Murray has declared Saturday night’s historic NBL1 West grand final appearance is a reward for the club’s fans and staff as much as the players, saying it is a sign of incredibly strong bonds. The Magic have recovered from a wooden spoon last season where they won only two games and extraordinary off-court drama in 2022 resulting in the Mandurah Basketball Association board resigning. But now the team will play against Willetton at RAC Arena in its first grand final. Murray took the league by storm this season, winning the competition’s MVP award after arriving from the US. He said grand final day is about more than a trophy. “It’s a great feeling to be in this position given everything that Mandurah has been through. To be in this moment, you’ve got to embrace it,” he said. “I wasn’t here when all the stuff happened but I do feel it was like a blessing in disguise because things like that bring people together. Mandurah has done exactly that. We’ve pulled together, gelled and embraced the moment. “Everyone is excited because this is the first one. They’ve stuck together and found a way. To be in that community keeps me going.” A core part of Willetton’s team have played together for years and are they desperate to turn that commitment into a title. The Magic comprehensively won both clashes between the teams during the regular season but veteran Damien Scott said the past would be irrelevant once the player step onto the court. “I don’t forget about what they did to us this year, but it doesn’t worry me because grand finals are anyone’s game,” he said. “I won’t really think about the previous games and I had COVID with the first one. Maybe we’ll look at how we guarded people and the coach’s will have some changes. I’m sure they’ll have ideas. “But our team is quite balanced. We’ve got some new pieces this year who have complemented us quite well. We’ve got a core bunch of Willetton people who have been bleeding for the club for years so this would mean everything.”