Sport

3 October, 2025

Maryborough Blazers set to begin their 2025 CBL season with double header

The Maryborough Blazers are ready to dunk into action in the 2025 Country Basketball League (CBL) North West Men’s and Women’s divisions, opening with a captivating home double header this weekend.

By Jonathan Peck

The Blazers will open their season tomorrow at the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre against the Bacchus Marsh Lions, with the Women’s side tipping off at 5 pm and the Men’s starting at 7 pm.

The second leg of the double header for both teams will be against the Macedon Ranges Rockies on Sunday, with the Women’s back on the court at 11.30 am, followed by the Men’s at 1.30 pm.

Both teams have undergone noticeable changes in the lead-up to the upcoming campaign as they aim to earn their way back into finals contention after missing out on the top four in 2024.

A broken finger will sideline nine-time John Stringer MVP Brady Neill for the Men’s team, who will also be without the experienced Matthew Johnston.

Rising star Kynan Carter has taken over from Neill as captain of the new-look Blazers, while last season’s John Stringer MVP winner Bailey Jacobs returns after finishing fifth in league scoring last season, averaging just over 20 points a game.

With established stars like Neill and Johnston unavailable, Men’s coach Troy McCarthy said he sees 2025 as a chance for promising talents like Ky Swards and Ollie McCarthy to flourish in more predominant roles.

“I think we have got a really good basis and it’s going to be about sharing the load and playing as a team,” he said.

“A lot of the success over the years has been around building around Neill and Johnston, so I think it’s a fresh start and a great opportunity for everyone.

“With a couple of people not there, it just opens the door for people like Carter to really flourish. I think it’s really important for Maryborough to see a young gentleman with great stature coming up and putting his hand up.

“I think we have five or six Maryborough locals in the squad this year. Kids coming up can see it’s an achievable goal to go and play for Maryborough and represent the community.”

The Blazers opened last season with a double header, where after a gripping one-point victory over the Macedon Ranges, they fell to a 1-4 record.

Despite a landmark win over the eventual runners-up Bendigo Braves, Maryborough couldn’t recover, missing out on the finals by four points with a 5-5 record.

After their early struggles in 2024, McCarthy is keen to see the Blazers get their season off on the right track against the Lions and Rockies.

“We started really slow last year — as an example, Bendigo and Castlemaine, the two eventual finalists, beat us by over 25 and then once we got our balance, we beat Bendigo and lost a nailbiter to Castlemaine,” he said.

“It’s about how quickly we gel. It would be great to be 1-1, 2-0 would be a flyer, but 1-1 and good basketball, I think would be a great result.

“If we lose both it’s more about reflection, did we have the opportunities and did we play well, that’s probably the number one priority.”

The Lady Blazers have also gone through a shakeup, most noticeably with NBL1 Ballarat Miners’ player and 2021/22 Maryborough premiership player Millie Cracknell returning as player-coach.

Cracknell is one of three players from that inaugural CBL women’s title team on the roster in 2025, alongside former league All-Star Maddy Egan and Maggie Tranter.

After a breakout campaign in 2024, Aislinn McCarthy is hoping to maintain her impact on the CBL after averaging 15.6 points a game last season.

“I think there’s a really good culture within the girls I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks, which is really important,” Cracknell said.

“It’ll be fun to go back to the CBL and have fun and teach the local girls a little bit more and try to contribute to Maryborough because they have given a lot to me.

“I think that we have a really solid starting five for sure, some good bench players and some development players who can come in when needed.

“Tranter will definitely be utilised a lot, she has a lot of knowledge, Egan will be really handy in the post, she’s really good in the pick and roll and pick and pop.”

While Maryborough missed out on the finals last season with a 3-7 record, they proved they could contend with the best in the league, highlighted by handing the eventual premiers Bendigo Braves their only loss of the season in round three.

Cracknell said this weekend’s double header will be a great litmus test for the Lady Blazers, as she expects her team to improve as the season progresses.

“It’ll just be about finding everyone’s role in the team. In training, it’s sometimes hard to tell, while in games you can definitely tell what role suits what player and how we gel with each other,” she said.

“Developing chemistry takes time and we haven’t had a lot of time in preseason. I think the first couple of weeks are going to be learning plays and developing chemistry within the team to find what works for us and then hit our straps from there.”

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