Norths Bears crowned NBL1 East champions

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17 August 2026

The Norths Bears men have been crowned NBL1 East champions after overcoming a 17-point deficit to defeat the Sutherland Sharks 76-64, securing a place at this weekend’s NBL1 National Finals.

It is the fourth men’s championship in club history and Norths’ first since 2017.

The Bears made a difficult start to the grand final and trailed by as many as 17 points during the second quarter. Sydney Kings pair Hunter Goodrick and Iggy Mitchell helped drag Norths back into the contest, with the Bears taking a 38-37 lead into halftime.

Little separated the teams through the third quarter, with Norths holding a narrow 53-51 advantage heading into the final period.

That was when four-time NBL champion Wani Swaka Lo Buluk took control. He hit two crucial three-pointers and added three more field goals as the Bears pulled away.

 

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At the other end, Fabijan Krslovic produced two important blocks and several key rebounds to shut down Sutherland’s attempts to mount a comeback.

Krslovic was named Finals MVP, capping a memorable return to his junior club after rejoining Norths for the first time since 2014. The last time he played for the Bears, Norths also won the championship.

Iggy Mitchell finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Lachie Bofinger contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Jake Weinstein scored nine points off the bench on perfect 3-from-3 shooting from beyond the arc.

The championship also carried a strong local flavour, with eight of the 12 players in the Norths squad having come through the club’s junior ranks.

It was the first men’s title as head coach for Tom Garlepp, who has a long history with the Bears. Garlepp played in Norths’ 2014 championship team and was named grand final MVP before later coaching the club’s women to titles in 2018 and 2020.

Norths’ season now continues at the NBL1 National Finals, where the champions from each of the five conferences compete for the national crown.

The Bears enter as the highest-ranked seed and will need to win three consecutive games to claim the title. They are the first Norths team to reach the national tournament since the women finished runners-up in 2023.