A Message From the Club President

Greetings All Wattle Park Families and Friends,

It is wonderful to be coming off the long Christmas break and getting back into basketball. I hope the holidays were a great opportunity for everyone to recharge, but now we are back into the serious end of the Summer Season, with teams starting to look ahead to their post-season prospects.

Once again, it seems the Club will be very well represented with teams playing finals, which is always a fantastic reflection of the commitment and effort shown across the season. As finals approach, it is a good idea to sort out any eligibility issues sooner rather than later. Players need 8 games (including byes) to qualify for finals participation. If you have any queries, please contact your AGC as soon as possible.

As we play through some pretty hot February court conditions, it seems strange indeed to be reminding everyone that Winter Season registrations are now open.

It is essential that all players wanting to represent the magnificent Wattle Park Saints next season register as soon as possible. Unfortunately, last season we did have a number of players sitting out on waiting lists simply because they missed the registration cut-off.

For returning players, please ensure you have received your registration letter. If not, contact your Team Manager straight away — it is also no problem to forward links to new players or those who did not play last season.

The sooner registrations are completed, the sooner we can form teams and plan properly for the season ahead.

Early registration matters. At Wattle Park Saints, we always do our best to get as many players on the court as possible. Priority is given to those who register on time, and we aim to create teams of around 7–8 players. This helps avoid walkovers and ensures teams have coverage in case of injury, illness, withdrawals, or other commitments.

Team formation is a huge task and depends entirely on total registration numbers in each age group, which determines how many teams we can enter. And then comes the fun bit - placing as many late registrations as we can, while also juggling:
 training and venue availability
 school and family commitments
 players involved in multiple sports
 coaching availability
 and yes… even Rep (though that’s often more of a summer issue).

When you see those hard-working AGCs around the Club, please spare a thought for the amazing work they do to get 70+ teams on the courts each season.

This club simply does not run without the dedication of volunteers — the people quietly working behind the scenes so our kids can play, improve, and enjoy being part of something special.

I was extremely proud of the investment we made in developing our coaching panel this season, and there will be more opportunities to get involved in coaching education and support activities going forward.

At this time of year, we are also very keen to secure coaches for next season. If you have ever considered coaching, even as an assistant, please support Paul Kneebone by registering your interest as soon as possible.

I have been seeing some very close margin games lately — some up, some down. As exciting as these results are, it’s worth remembering that they don’t come from a last-minute play in the dying moments. They come from the preparation, consistency, and teamwork that goes into the whole season.

A team doesn’t suddenly become strong in the finals. It’s built quietly through consistent training sessions, regular attendance, encouragement from the bench, bringing the right attitude, and making the effort week in, week out.

And that’s worth remembering at this time of year: while finals are an exciting reward for many teams, the season is never defined by one game or one result. It is the sum of all the efforts across the year — the practices, the friendships, the resilience after a tough loss, the courage to keep improving, and the joy of being part of a team.

That spirit is at the core of what we stand for at Wattle Park Saints: Brave, True, One. Brave enough to have a go and cross that line, true in the way we bring our best — particularly when no one is watching — and one in the way we support each other on and off the court, as one club community: players, families, coaches, and volunteers alike.

Thank you for everything you do to support the Saints — and let’s finish the season strongly, together.

Shayne La Combre
Club President

Go Saints - Brave True One

In this Edition

Register for Winter Season 2026!

Team First Leadership session

Thank You Coaches!

Save the Date - Summer Season Presentation Day

Home Loan Health Check

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Uniform Update

Dates to Remember

Register for Winter 2026 Season!

It might not seem like it, but Winter is defintely coming! Full registration details were sent via email and can also be found on our website.

Click below to head straight to the PlayHQ registration page:

Junior Monday (Girls) and Friday (Boys) Players registration

Junior Saturday Players registration

Please take care with registering your child into the correct competition and ensure their details are entered correctly. Any questions or issues, please contact Scott Monkhouse at info@wattleparksaints.org.au .

Registrations close 5pm, Monday 16 February.

Team First Leadership Session

We have a fantastic development session coming up for our players and Junior Coaches. The session is on leadership and will be professionally delivered by Salt Sport and Life Training (SALT), with thanks to the generous support of the Bendigo Bank.

Date: Wednesday 4 March 2026

Time: 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Location: Nunawading Basketball Centre, Burwood Highway

Please register your attendance: RSVP here

Thank You Coaches!

As we move into the home stretch of the season, I’d like to take a moment to shout out to all our coaches.

Coaching is very much a labour of love. Our club has about 75 coaches who
collectively contribute nearly 2,500 hours of training and game time per season to the club – and that’s not even counting travel and preparation time. It’s thanks to this contribution that our kids are able to participate in the wonderful sport of basketball each week.

On behalf of the club and parents, I’d like to say a massive thanks to all our coaches. And let’s not forget the network of families and players who surround our coaches as well – a supportive team makes all the difference.
Each season, we throw coaches, players and teams together in a sort of social
experiment that can sometimes resemble a blind date. Thankfully, through the commitment and patience of all involved, more often than not we find a “perfect match”…or a good match at least.

As the winter season nears, we’ll be recruiting coaches again, so I’d encourage our community, both families and players (U15 up) to give it a go. It’s incredibly rewarding! A massive thanks to everyone – coaches, players and families – who contribute to a supportive team environment.

If you have any questions or concerns about coaching or would like to know more about how to get involved, please reach out to Paul.

Pictured below is one of our incredible Junior Coaches, Emily Thorburn, (lWinter Season 2025 Junior Coaching Award recipient) and players.

Save the Date!

Summer Season Presentation Day

We’re gearing up for another great presentation day at Forest Hill Secondary College on Sunday 29 March, celebrating another fabulous season of basketball. Pop it in the diary and tell your friends and family! Bookings open soon.

Home Loan Health Check

With the recent rise in interest rates, now is an ideal time to do a 'Home Loan Health Check'. Email Kate Bellamy from the Bendigo Bank to organise your free check today!

We thank our valued sponsor Community Bank Inner East for their continued support of our Club.

Uniform Update

Do you have an old Saints uniform that you no longer need? Then please donate it back to the Club! These are added to the Club's uniform stocks and are helpful to kit-out new players while they wait for their uniform order to arrive. This is a great way to upcycle outgrown basketball gear, while helping reduce quality items being sent to landfill.

If you have recently placed an order for new uniforms and haven’t yet returned your loan items, please get in touch with our Uniform Coordinator so we can organise this smoothly.

Order any new playing uniforms and replacement items through Impact Sports. Please note it can take up to six weeks for your uniform to be processed. Please reach out via email if you have any uniforms to donate or any questions.

South East Melbourne Phoenix Heartland Round!

Celebrate community and grassroots basketball at the South East Melbourne Phoenix versus Tasmania Jackjumpers on Saturday 14 February at John Cain Arena. With non-stop entertainment and fun for fans of all ages, there’s no better place to be than a Phoenix game.
Fun initiatives include Guard of Honor, Heartland Hero and free socks for the first 200 players in their team jerseys!
Remember to use the code WPARKS2020 to get 20% off General Admission tickets! Book through Ticketek.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are very grateful to our sponsors – thanks to these sponsors, we have been able to provide top-notch coaching and development, along with coaching kits to our young aspiring Junior coaches in our community. This support has not only improved their confidence, leadership and basketball skills but also instils valuable life lessons around teamwork, discipline, perseverance. It's heartening to see this positive impact and how sponsorship makes a difference.