Goulding reveals inspiration behind East Perth’s finals berth

Written by Julia Montesano 

The East Perth Eagles have been a struggling side for many years. 

In 2019 and 2020, their women’s team only won two games in total. 

Fast forward to 2021 and the Eagles are playing in the inaugural NBL1 West Finals, having finished in the top four and earning a double chance. 

It is a truly remarkable turnaround for a team that has never won a women’s championship in Western Australian state basketball. 

One of the keys to this newfound success is star New Zealand import Mary Goulding, who was most recently named in the NBL1 West All First Team and crowned Leading Rebounder with 13.4 boards per game. 

But being the humble person she is, the 25-year-old credited the whole team for this remarkable rise.

“(Our success) would come down to a lot of different variables,” she says. 

“Our team is very close, we care about each other on and off the court. 

“Each of us has gone through different things personally off the court but all the girls always have each other’s backs. 

“I think that speaks volumes of the team. 

“We fight for each other and everyone knows their role. 

“Everyone’s ready to do what they need to do to get the win, whether that’s sitting on the sidelines, being the playmaker, or just setting screens. 

“We’ve got this team motto of Ubuntu, which means I am because we are. 

“I think that’s where the success has stemmed from.” 

East Perth coach Blake Srdarev has also had a huge role to play in getting the team to an 11-7 win-loss record this season. 

Goulding says she was excited to see Srdarev take out the NBL1 Women’s Coach of the Year award, describing why he was so deserving of this incredible accolade. 

“It’s awesome to come into a team that hasn’t had a winning record and to turn that around,” she explains. 

“He really wants the best for everyone individually on and off the court. 

“When recruiting me, he was really excited to give me freedom on the court. 

“It was cool to see that he got recognised for his efforts and I’m super proud of him.” 

Now that finals are edging closer, Goulding and her teammates’ excitement is beginning to grow. 

A qualifying final away against Willetton awaits the in-form Eagles, who are seeking more than just a win on Saturday. 

“Everyone’s proud of what we’ve done but we know we’re not finished yet,” Goulding says.

“We want to keep proving ourselves. 

“The team is really close and we play for each other. 

“We don’t want it to just end here. 

“We’re pushing for something bigger.” 

The match-up against the top-of-the-table Tigers is a prospect that excites Goulding, as she has confidence that the Eagles can take it up to the likes of NBL1 West MVP Alex Sharp and Leading Scorer Samantha Lubcke. 

“They’ve got some really good players and they play really well together as a team,” Goulding says. 

“It’ll be a tough game for sure but we’ve beaten them once before. 

“Last time we caught them off guard, they didn’t know what we were capable of. 

“It will really just come down to who plays the best and who wants that win.”