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Ranked: Who Has The Toughest Draw?
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Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Sure, all clubs will play 14 at home and 14 away, but when do those games take place? Who does your team play four times and who do they only play once at home?
The views on this page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBL, its Clubs or partners.
By Liam Santamaria
The NBL23 schedule is here!
Featuring a host of exciting initiatives, including a ground-breaking Christmas Day clash, the fixture for the upcoming season was widely praised when it dropped on Monday morning.
That said, no schedule is ever created even for all teams. Sure, all clubs will play 14 at home and 14 away, but when do those games take place? Who does your team play four times and who do they only play once at home?
Here is each team’s NBL23 schedule, ranked from least to most friendly.
Four games vs: Brisbane
Two home, one away vs: Adelaide, Illawarra, New Zealand, Perth
One home, two away vs: Melbourne, South East Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania
Marquee games: Open Air Game @ Melbourne, New Year’s Eve vs Adelaide
The Taipans have been handed a rotten start to the season, with four of their opening five games on the road. Their only home game across the first few weeks is against Perth, with that clash surrounded by tough trips to Tasmania, South East Melbourne, Sydney and Melbourne.
On a more positive note, the Snakes have retained their traditional New Year’s Eve clash. However, even that comes with some challenges, as that game begins a gruelling stretch of four games in nine days for Adam Forde and his men.
To finish the season, the Taipans will play five of their final eight games at the Cairns Convention Centre, giving them a somewhat friendlier run home. That said, their regular season ends with a trip to Western Australia to tackle the Wildcats in the Jungle.
Rank: Hardest draw
Four games vs: New Zealand
Two home, one away vs: Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, South East Melbourne
One home, two away vs: Adelaide, Illawarra, Melbourne, Sydney
Marquee games: Opening night @ South East Melbourne, Boxing Day vs New Zealand, New Year’s Day vs South East Melbourne
The JackJumpers have been rewarded for their scintillating debut campaign with a schedule that will see them play six of their opening nine games on the road. One of those will be a trip to New Zealand to face the Breakers in their emotional home opener, while others involve visits to South East Melbourne, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
Tassie’s commercial team will be loving their home games on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. However, from a strength-of-schedule perspective, it does feel like they’ve drawn the short straw with multiple trips to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide on their slate.
Rank: Second-hardest draw
Four games vs: Tasmania
Two home, one away vs: Melbourne, Perth, South East Melbourne, Sydney
One home, two away vs: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Illawarra
Marquee games: Home opener vs Tasmania, Boxing Day @ Tasmania
At first glance, New Zealand’s schedule looks pretty friendly. After all, this season will see the Breakers play a full set of home games for the first time since 2019-20. That, in itself, is something to be celebrated. On top of that, Mody Maor’s squad only plays once on the road against each of Melbourne, Perth, SEM and Sydney – all teams widely expected to be playoff contenders.
Look a little closer, however, and things start to become a little murkier. For starters, it just seems cruel that their season-opener is not at home, doesn’t it? Secondly, after spending almost all of the past two seasons stuck in Australia, the Breakers will play five of their first seven games of NBL23 on the road. Of course, that’s a result of considerations around venue availability, but even so, that’s a rough way to begin the year.
As part of that mix, the Breakers will endure a gruelling stretch in mid-late October that will see them play six games in sixteen days, four of which will be on the road.
Rank: Third-hardest draw
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"To be able to put a ring around October ? now makes things more real, and the rest of New Zealand can now join in the excitement too"<br><br>After 489 days away, <a href="https://twitter.com/tomabo10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tomabo10</a> can't wait for the <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a>' long-overdue return to <a href="https://twitter.com/SparkArenaNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SparkArenaNZ</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a><br><br>More at <a href="https://t.co/p2UWhDjaJ5">https://t.co/p2UWhDjaJ5</a> <a href="https://t.co/bYIKu0WViC">pic.twitter.com/bYIKu0WViC</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1551448835183939585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Four games vs: Cairns
Two home, one away vs: Melbourne, New Zealand, Perth, Sydney
One home, two away vs: Adelaide, Illawarra, South East Melbourne, Tasmania
Marquee games: New Year’s Day vs Melbourne, Australia Day vs New Zealand
The Bullets are another team who have been handed a tough start to the season. In fact, theirs may well be the toughest, as James Duncan’s group will open the season in Perth before heading to Sydney and Tasmania in Round Two. In total, five of Brisbane’s first six games will be on the road or, if you stretch it out even further, seven of their first ten.
On the flip side, the Bullets only play away against Sydney, Perth and Melbourne – the three clubs who have combined to win the past seven NBL titles – one time each.
Rank: Fourth-hardest draw
Four games vs: Sydney
Two home, one away vs: Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand, Tasmania
One home, two away vs: Adelaide, Cairns, Perth, South East Melbourne
Marquee games: Opening Night vs Sydney, New Year’s Eve vs Perth
There are certainly some commercial challenges within Illawarra’s schedule, but from a basketball perspective there are a number of things to feel good about.
Firstly, the Hawks will play six of their first nine games on their home floor. With a new-look squad and a new coach at the helm, that kind of early-season schedule will give them a strong chance to open their campaign with some wins.
Both the front office and fans will enjoy being given five Saturday night home games while the Hawkheads will need to embrace mid-week basketball with eight combined home games on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Finally, the Kings are likely to be very strong again this season so four matchups with Sydney as part of the Freeway Series is a bit of a daunting prospect.
Rank: Fifth-hardest draw
Four games vs: Illawarra
Two home, one away vs: Adelaide, Cairns, South East Melbourne, Tasmania
One home, two away vs: Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand, Perth
Marquee games: Opening night @ Illawarra, Championship Banner Ceremony vs Brisbane, Grand Final re-match vs Tasmania, Christmas Day vs Melbourne
The defending champs will begin the season in Wollongong on opening night for the first of four clashes with their NSW rivals, before unfurling the NBL22 championship banner at their home season-opener in Round Two. The highlight of Sydney’s schedule, however, is undoubtedly the historic Christmas Day clash with Melbourne United.
Where things get interesting for the Kings is in the back end of their schedule. It will be a tough run home for Chase Buford’s squad as they play four of their final six games on the road, including two trips to Perth, as well as visits to Tassie and Adelaide. That stretch, which involves six games in 17 days, will see the Kings play three straight double-header weekends, with each one beginning on the road.
Rank: Sixth-hardest draw
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CHRISTMAS DAY GAME ?<br><br>This year the Sydney Kings will host a historic NBL Christmas Day clash! <br><br>For more information head to our website ?? <a href="https://t.co/ROU7VRSWW6">https://t.co/ROU7VRSWW6</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/silfUZfZ9z">pic.twitter.com/silfUZfZ9z</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1549499416784302080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Four games vs: Melbourne
Two home, one away vs: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Illawarra
One home, two away vs: New Zealand, Perth, Sydney, Tasmania
Marquee games: Opening night vs Tasmania, Christmas Eve @ Adelaide, New Year’s Day @ Tasmania
Thanks to their ability to play in ‘The Heartland’, at Victoria’s State Basketball Centre, the Phoenix are able to mitigate the impact of John Cain Arena being unavailable throughout January. As a result, their schedule is pretty evenly spaced out in terms of when they play at home and away.
That said, this will be the fourth straight season that the season’s first Throwdown will be hosted by their arch rivals, which will disappoint SEM’s commercial team. They are also scheduled to play twice in Sydney, Perth, New Zealand and Tasmania which are all tough places to play. Overall, though, the Phoenix have done pretty well with this season’s draw.
Rank: Seventh-hardest draw
Four games vs: Perth
Two home, one away vs: Brisbane, Illawarra, New Zealand, Tasmania
One home, two away vs: Cairns, Melbourne, South East Melbourne, Sydney
Marquee games: Christmas Eve vs South East Melbourne
It has been an exciting off-season for the 36ers so far and the good times continued to roll this week with the release of the schedule.
Of course, playing the Wildcats four times is never a great result. However, after beginning their schedule in Round Three, Adelaide will play three of its first four games at home, giving the 36ers a great opportunity to begin the season with some wins.
From a commercial perspective, the front office will be thrilled with five Friday night and five Saturday night matches, especially when the remaining four home games are scheduled to be played during the school holidays.
All that being said, it’s worth noting that five of Adelaide’s final seven games will be on the road, with tough opponents in Melbourne and Sydney coming into town for those other two matchups. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty positive schedule for CJ Bruton and his squad as they look to return their proud club to the post-season for the first time since 2018.
Rank: Eighth-hardest draw
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Appetizing draw for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Adelaide?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Adelaide</a> 36ers fans ?<br><br>? 5 x Friday night<br>? 5 x Saturday night<br>? Christmas Eve<br>? School holiday games<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> schedule: <a href="https://t.co/9g5MXBik0z">https://t.co/9g5MXBik0z</a> <a href="https://t.co/JQ3RULhnh6">pic.twitter.com/JQ3RULhnh6</a></p>— John Casey (@JohnCasey2880) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCasey2880/status/1551359680412528640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Four games vs: South East Melbourne
Two home, one away vs: Adelaide, Cairns, Sydney, Tasmania
One home, two away vs: Brisbane, Illawarra, New Zealand, Perth
Marquee games: Cup Day Eve vs Perth, Open Air Game vs Cairns, Christmas Day @ Sydney, New Year’s Day @ Brisbane
With the Australian Open Tennis Tournament taking over John Cain Arena throughout January, Melbourne have landed a somewhat whacky schedule for NBL23, but I think it plays to their favour.
To begin the season, United will play 13 of their opening 20 games on their home floor, including five of their first six. That stretch also includes two ‘away’ games against South East Melbourne, which means Dean Vickerman’s men will play outside of John Cain Arena just five times across their first 20 games. That’s a very friendly way to build up some wins over the first two-thirds of the season.
From there, Melbourne will play seven straight on the road, which will make for a tough stretch, however four of those will be played as part of single-game weekends.
Add in seven home games in the family-friendly timeslot of Sunday afternoons, as well as a number of marquee matchups, and United would have to be pretty happy with how their schedule landed, all things considered.
Rank: Ninth-hardest draw
Four games vs: Adelaide
Two home, one away vs: Illawarra, Melbourne, South East Melbourne, Sydney
One home, two away vs: Brisbane, Cairns, New Zealand, Tasmania
Marquee games: New Year’s Eve @ Illawarra
It’s all very subjective, but in my view the friendliest schedule for the NBL23 season belongs to the Wildcats.
As is traditionally the case, Perth will begin the season with a bunch of home games and, after hitting the road mid-season, they’ll also close it out with a home-heavy schedule as they push towards the finals.
To put some numbers around all of that, the Wildcats will open the season with seven of their first 11 games at RAC Arena, before closing the season with five of their final seven also at the Jungle.
They also play eight of their 14 home games on Friday and Saturday nights, as is their preference, which bodes well for some enormous crowds at many of those games.
That said, there are a few challenging moments that have been slipped into Perth’s schedule. For example, when the ‘Cats play five straight games on the road across Christmas and New Year. With a limited number of rest days between the final four of those matches, there’s a good chance they’ll stay on the East Coast for a big chunk of that time.
There are also numerous occasions when the ‘Cats play on a Friday night in Perth and then suit up again on the road less than 48 hours later. In Round 16, for instance, the Wildcats host Sydney on the Friday night and then play the Phoenix in Melbourne on the Sunday, with tip-off scheduled for 11am Perth time. The same scenario will take place the following week, with Perth hosting Illawarra on the Friday night, before travelling to Tasmania for an early game on the Sunday.
All in all, however, it must be said that the Wildcats have been given a pretty nice schedule, as John Rillie looks to lead his men back to the post-season.
Rank: Easiest draw
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 2022/23 Perth Wildcats schedule has been delivered! ?<br><br>See it in full: <a href="https://t.co/k01CqP4KcV">https://t.co/k01CqP4KcV</a> <a href="https://t.co/5WiBmrcDo8">pic.twitter.com/5WiBmrcDo8</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1551359257605709824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The views on this page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBL, its Clubs or partners.
