0°C | Sunday February 1, 2026 
15 December 2025
Norths Bears have announced a slew of returning players as well as some exciting new signings ahead of the NBL1 2026 season.
Looking to avenge their preliminary final loss last season, the women’s side has started their campaign well, re-signing Sydney Flames WNBL talents Issy Morgan and Catilyn Martin. Not only will they be returning to Norths with a season of professional experience, but they will again be playing under head coach Renee Garlepp, who was recently elevated to the head coach of the Flames, her first WNBL head coaching job.
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It hasn’t all been great news for the Bears, with star forward Carla Pitman moving on to the NBL1 South with Mt Gambier. Pitman has been a big part of Norths for the past four seasons, highlighted by winning a Youth League title and the 2023 NBL1 East championship. In 2025, Pitman led the side in assists and rebounds while averaging the second-most points per game.
New signing Jasmine Simmons may be able to fill the void Pitman has left. Simmons captained the Australian Under-17s team, has played AFLW in Adelaide, and most recently starred in NBL1 South. Last season she was signed with Central Coast but didn’t play due to injury. Young talent Peggy Schell has also re-signed for her fifth season in the top division.
Meanwhile, the men’s side has announced four major players will return from last year’s squad. Hunter Goodrick, Matt Wacher, Lachlan Bofinger, and Iggy Mitchell have all been confirmed as re-signings, as well as coach Tom Garlepp. Bringing back Goodrick would’ve been priority number one for Norths this off-season after having a ‘Star 5’ season where he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds, while leading the Bears back to the finals. He parlayed this all into an NBL contract with the Sydney Kings and has appeared in 13 games as of the publishing of this article.
Bofinger was also a huge part of Norths’ return to the finals in 2025. After four years in college in the US, he re-joined his junior club and made an immediate impact. For 2026, the club has announced another junior will be returning to the club from US college basketball with the signing of Hunter Madden. Madden went to high school at Shore and played his junior basketball with Norths before spending four seasons in the US.
With the season tipping off in April 2026, Norths have already created two very talented squads, with more signings expected over the coming months.