Cockburn Cougars coach Tyrone Thwaites is hoping what his team learned from last year's maiden NBL1 West championship has them well prepared for a crack at going back-to-back while taking confidence with the form his team enters the Grand Final in.
Thwaites took over as coach at the Cougars back in 2020 with a vision of building a program that was ready and able to achieve sustained success on the women's side for the first time in SBL or NBL1 West history.
The Cougars were building impressively across 2021 and 2022, and then took that next leap in 2023 finishing the regular season in top spot for the first time and then completing the job with Cockburn's first ever women's championship.
Then it was a whole new experience coming into the 2024 season as the defending champions and there were some early growing pains with Steph Gorman and Alex Ciabattoni just finishing their WNBL seasons, and then awaiting the arrival of Daniel Raber and Maria Blazejewski.
Cockburn lost three of the first 11 games, but now have been outstanding since winning 10 of the last 11 since and doing so by an average margin of 27 points including two mighty impressive finals victories against the Warwick Senators and Perry Lakes Hawks.
That has the Cougars into Saturday's Grand Final against the Rockingham Flames at RAC Arena with Thwaites happy with how his team is playing, but knowing they still need to have the focus on continuing to improve if they want to win a championship.
Playing best basketball at right time
The Cougars always had the plan to be playing at their best when it mattered most in 2024 and not to peak too early, and it's certainly paid off.
Now that the back court of Jewel Williams, Steph Gorman and Alex Ciabattoni is thriving together, Daniel Raber has become a dominant force up front and the Cougars have been outstanding over the past 11 games now especially.
That included winning eight of the last nine games of the regular season, then downing the Senators in the qualifying final on the road and then beating the Hawks in the preliminary final at Wally Hagan Stadium last Saturday.
It's also a team with Jessie Edwards, Maria Blazejewski, Harriet Ford, Jaya Scafidi, Regan Turnour-McCarty and Kinley Paterson playing important roles too, and Thwaites couldn’t be happier with their form entering the Grand Final.
"I think we have been tested and I think the final margins might just not really reflect that. What we have been able to do well is finish off games strongly and something we've had to get our handle on is our starts," Thwaites said.
"We think we nailed that last weekend in the prelim, but certainly in the last regular season game Perry Lakes hit the front midway through the third and Warwick in that first final were up 10 at a point during the second quarter.
"So in terms of being tested, it's certainly been there and has existed as was the back third of the season. Willetton were not an easy match up for us, neither were Perry Lakes, and we had to beat Lakeside at Lakeside.
"So while the margins kind of suggest somewhere between 10 and 30, none of those were truly comfortable and we had to work for them.
"We do feel like we're in good game form at the moment because across the back half of the season we've only played two teams not inside the top eight so we've really had to play basketball, which has been reflected on the scoreboard and we take a lot of confidence knowing we're playing our best basketball at the right time."
Feeling to be back in Grand Final
Now that reaching a Grand Final in 2024 isn't a new experience for Thwaites as a coach or the majority of his playing group especially Gorman, Williams and Edwards who were starters on that championship team, he does feel differently getting back there.
That doesn’t mean the excitement is less, but it is a bit more of a feeling of knowing what works and what to expect even though there's the unknown of what the RAC Arena factor will have.
"It is a bit of a different feeling and the feeling is a little bit level because you have a bit more of an understanding of what's to come, and what the week looks like and what game day looks like," Thwaites said.
"Although obviously at RAC Arena it's a much bigger event but it is a different feeling even though we have an idea of how to prepare ourselves the best we can. We feel a little bit more level knowing what's in front of us."
Having been there last year
While there is a natural confidence from having played in a Grand Final and won one, Thwaites knows that it will take more than just doing the same thing again and expecting the same result.
That has been the focus all season to try and keep getting better after that championship, and not just trying to replicate what they did 12 months ago. That doesn’t change entering Saturday's Grand Final.
"Our message all year has been the same mindset won't necessarily get the same results," Thwaites said.
"We'd need to make little gains in all areas and I think what's important is that our experience can allow us to ride emotional rollercoaster a little less.
"We did that last year and I think it's really about trying to keep the group level and making sure that a level of confidence and nervous energy is converted into a really solid start out on the floor."
Thoughts on Rockingham group as an opponent
While there were other strong teams in the NBL1 West women's competition this season including the Warwick Senators, Lakeside Lightning and Perry Lakes Hawks, you would be hard pressed to not agree that the two standout teams overall are now in the Grand Final.
Rockingham dominated the first half of the season, Cockburn has done similarly in the second half and now they clash at RAC Arena with the championship at stake on Saturday.
While it is a new look Rockingham team in 2024 under coach Marcus Wong, it's a familiar group of players so Thwaites is looking forward to taking on a team featuring Robbi Ryan, Alex Sharp, Emma Gandini, Jess Jakens, Shani Amos, Nes'eya Parker-Williams, and someone not quite so familiar Georgia Pineau.
"What's really interesting about them is that they are not unfamiliar. In different contexts across the last two years we have dealt with Sharpey, we've dealt with Robbi, we've dealt with Jakens, Parker-Williams, Gandini and pretty much all their players," Thwaites said.
"Pineau is the only one who is fresh to us this year but even in saying that, we have gotten to know Georgia quite well over the course of this season.
"Robbi is their best player in my mind and you can't take your mind off Sharpey either, but you want to make sure Gandini can't get going early either with her shooting capabilities whether contested or uncontested.
"I think the barometer for that team, at least in my opinion, has been Nes'eya Parker-Williams and we probably regrettably in the two times we played them didn’t tip enough time into her.
"She is one that we've certainly got to make sure she isn’t able to drive their energy because the whole team can follow her lead. She's certainly someone else we can't take our eye off."
Getting to play/coach at RAC Arena
The new part of the Grand Final experience of 2024 for everyone involved is with the game being held on Saturday, instead of Friday, and at RAC Arena as the first half of a double-header with the men's decider rather than at Bendat Basketball Centre which has been the host venue since 2010.
Thwaites does expect the excitement levels for his players to grow as the week unfolds, but he is glad that they will get to have a shootaround at the venue on Friday in preparation.
"It's really interesting and I thought the excitement in the group might be a bit more than it has been so far, but this group is just so level and focused that it hasn’t become a focal point," he said.
"When we go there for a shootaround on Friday I think it might change a little bit and for the girls who haven’t played in big stadiums before that's when it might start to shift.
"Some of our veterans and imports in Maria and Dani have all played in big stadiums before but for the rest of them once they walk through the doors on Friday for the shootaround I think the excitement will start to build at that point."
It's only natural too for Thwaites to feel that natural excitement about getting to coach his first game at RAC Arena as well and what he will be doing his best to do is embrace the occasion, and to take it all in.
"I remember last year when we won the prelim I got a text message from Rob Beveridge who just said to make sure you enjoy every minute of this week because it goes very quickly," Thwaites said.
"I took that advice and I remember when we were actually at the game last year I took time before it started to enjoy the atmosphere, and the moment.
"The same principle applies this year and I'm trying very hard to be level, and I learned last year that I can be as prepared as possible before handing the keys over to the girls.
"I'll make sure that I am as level as I can be and don't get too excited, but at the same time try and enjoy all the little moments that come with big days like that."
