SWR Sport co-founder and head of sport Julian Daw lists his top 5 sporting moments of 2017.

In truth the entire 2017 Shute Shield competition could easily be on this list, in a year where rugby took its fair share of black eyes in Australia the continued resurgence of Sydney's club rugby competition was the bastion of hope for the rugby purist.

The story of Warringah in 2017 however is an amazing tale in it's own right. Having never won the Sydney first grade premiership since the club was founded in 1963 (they won the 2005 Shute Shield when it was a preseason competition) the "Rats" entered 2017 as premiership favourites alongside 2016 premiers Norths, yet their start to the season was rather lackluster and they found themselves mired in the middle of the table.

June 10th would change everything when 5th grade player Lachlan Ward collapsed in a match at Pittwater Park and would never get up again. The outpouring of grief and support from the rugby community in Sydney and beyond was overwhelming and it triggered the Rats first grade side to break that elusive premiership drought.
​From their poignant return to rugby on June 24th against Penrith the Rats would only drop one more game throughout the campaign as they rocketed to 3rd on table.

After a satisfying semi final win over arch rival Manly they faced defending premiers Norths on Grand Final day in front of a lockout crowd at North Sydney Oval estimated to be around 17'000. On a beautiful August afternoon the Rats and Shoremen played out a classic grand final with Warringah prevailing 30-25 to claim their first ever premiership.
Fittingly the five points that were the difference were scored by Lachlan Ward's brother Sam who then lifted the Shute Shield high with a framed picture of his late brother in tow.
It was an afternoon that will never be forgotten by those who were lucky enough to be there.

Imagine coming into the NBL's most storied franchise as a mid season import tasked with saving the Wildcats failing season which at the time saw the Cats on the bottom of the table, then not only completing said task but scoring 45 points in a championship clinching game in front of 13'000 rabid fans!

Thats exactly what Bryce Cotton did in 2017 as he torched the Illawarra Hawks in an GF MVP performance to seal the Wildcats back to back championship quest.
His arrival in January came at a time where the Wildcats looked set to miss the playoffs for the first time in 31 years, Cotton's immediate impact garnered the interest of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks who offered him a 10 day trial contract but Cotton rejected the offer to stay in Perth. 

His Game 3 performance will long live in the Wildcats storied folklore, Cotton re-signed for the Cats this season and hasn't missed a beat in helping the Wildcats to the top of the standings.
​Cotton and the Cats are well on track to repeat the heroics of last season as the Wildcats look for the first three-peat in club history

At this point Tom Brady's status as the greatest quarterback in NFL history is assured, it was just a question of if he would add to his four Superbowl titles before calling it quits on his decorated career. 

With 8:31 left in the 3rd Quarter of Super Bowl 51 it certainly didn't seem like he would, at least not this year. 
But that's when legends emerge to make history, and boy did Brady ever do that on an unforgettable night in Houston.

Yes the Atlanta Falcons blew several chances to put the game to bed but the way Brady led his offense around the field was a work of art. Yet even as the final quarter started it was still a 28-9 deficit.
Then it happened, Brady to Amendola, Julian Edelman's miracle catch, White scores a 1 yard TD run, 28-28.

For the first time in Super Bowl history overtime would be required, but as soon as the Patriots elected to receive after winning the coin toss there was only one ending to this story.
Brady leads his team down the field, James White runs it in and history is written. 34-28 and the Patriots dynasty had its finest hour.

New England led the Super Bowl for a total of 0 seconds and dating back to 1940 teams leading by 17 or more points after three quarters in playoff games were 133–0, that stat is now 133-1.

When Papua New Guinea were granted a team in the Queensland Cup competition many saw it as a first step towards one day an NRL club being based in the only country in the world where Rugby League is the national sport.

The events of September 24th proved to me at least that Port Moresby should host an NRL game in the next five years, and an NRL team in the next ten.

The Hunters in their fourth QLD Cup campaign finished as minor premiers and made the grand final against the Sunshine Coast Falcons who are aligned with NRL premiers Melbourne Storm.
Trailing 10-6 with 90 seconds to go Willie Minoga got a hand on captain Ase Boas' grubber kick to put his side level next to the posts. 

The conversion was successful and the nation of PNG watching on television went into delirium. Hunters players were openly balling their eyes out as the Hunters pulled off an achievement that would have been thought impossible five years ago. 
The Hunters returned home to a heroes welcome with the Queensland Cup in tow, even though they were well beaten by Penrith on NRL Grand Final day the Hunters achievement was ultimately a precursor to the spectacular results that were to come in the World Cup a month later.

There are a million different stories that easily could have made this list coming from Richmond's stirring premiership triumph.
​Dustin Martin proving himself as the truth, Brendon Gale and Matthew Richardson's tears, a Riewoldt finally playing in a premiership team, the problem child of the AFL finally getting it together and ending the eternal torture of one of the league's most passionate fanbases.

But seriously, Jack Riewoldt got up on stage with the Killers at the postgame concert on the G and belted out Mr. Brightside! Is it legal for someone to have a great a day as Jack Riewoldt did on September 30th?

Cancel the future because Jack Riewoldt just won at life.

It is a moment that will be forever etched in footy and MCG lore and will ensure the Killers always have strong record sales in Melbourne (good luck to whoever the 2018 GF entertainment is to try and top their efforts, the AFL should just pony up the cash and book the Killers through till 2020)

SWR Sport's lead caller of NSWRL and EP of Sport Daniel Pettigrew gives us his favourite moments of 2017.

Before I start on the Big Bash, it would be wrong not to give the Australian team a mention for their wonderful display in the first four tests of the Summer.
Not many thought they would have already wrapped up the Ashes after three tests. Steve Smith continues to amaze and is building a good side around him.

But not taking anything away from Test Cricket I am just in awe about how well and how successful the Big Bash has been. Over the past few days I’ve seen tweets that read something similar to “What did I do in the Summer before the Big Bash was on?” and I couldn’t agree more.

I wasn’t in Australia for the launch of the Big Bash so when I returned from the UK I was coming in blind to what this competition was. From the very first game I was hooked. Sure not every game is close but the majority of them are and quite often it leaves you on the edge of your seat right until the final ball.

The move to Channel 10 and free to air TV certainly did help the competition and the great coverage they do can’t be underestimated. Which is one of the main reasons a lot of people want all Cricket to go to Channel 10 in the near future.

Even the Big Bash’s critics, which there are many, can’t disagree with how well this competition has been run. Most say a lot of other sports can learn from how it’s ran and it’s very hard to disagree with that.
The Big Bash is now an institution in an Australian Summer and I can’t wait to see how it grows even more over the next few years.

I don’t take much pleasure writing this part of the article but you simply have to marvel at how good this Queensland side has been over the past 10 or so years.

But this year’s Origin victory was something very special. I was right in front of Jarryd Hayne bombing that try not sending it onto an unmarked Brett Morris which all things being equal would have secured the Series victory for NSW.

But it’s very unfair to blame just one man from a NSW point of view. The second half performance in Origin 2 was just not up to Origin Standard and QLD capitalized on that.

And how fitting was it to see Johnathon Thurston in what turned out to be his last game for QLD effectively kick them to victory. Then in the third game, when people were still writing them off and thought NSW would reproduce their performance of the Game One, Queensland put on an Origin masterclass for the ages.

They were simply brilliant and one can’t deny they are one of the best sporting sides we have seen in this generation.

We will see what next year brings – NSW has a new coach who many believe can turn things around for the Blues and bring the culture back to the camp.
QLD have no Thurston and no Cronk but they have amazing depth, Michael Morgan showed that this season.

After what we’ve seen from QLD in recent years you’d be a brave man to bet against them next year.

Staying on the rep football theme and this time the recent Rugby League World Cup and what it did for International Rugby League.

Of course most expected Australia to win in the end although even that wasn’t as easy as some people claimed it would be. The World Cup Final was one of the best and gripping games of Rugby League I’ve seen in a long time. It also showed that the likes of England are not as far away as many people think they are.

However the real success of the World Cup was the Pacific Nations. In particular Tonga and Fiji, not to mention the great scenes we saw for three weeks in a row in Papua New Guinea.

Everybody knew when Andrew Fafita and Jason Taumalolo left their respective countries to represent Tonga that this would improve the spectacle of the World Cup. Nobody knew just quite how much.

Tonga’s victory against New Zealand was something very special, equally as was Fiji’s victory the weekend after. The emotion showed by the players in all these teams was something very rare and something you don’t see often in top class sport. And the scenes in New Zealand when Tonga played England was amazing. Having spoken to a few people that were at the game they say it’s an atmosphere they’ve never experienced before at a Rugby League.
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Now it’s very important, no actually it’s essential that all quarters of Rugby League make sure they capitalize on this tournament. We need to see more games involving Tonga, Samoa, PNG) and Fiji. Target the big growth areas in the game because if they do it correctly international Rugby League could have something very special on their hands.

After a few years where although the Tennis has still been exceptional the Australian Open needed something a little bit special this year and it certainly got that in spades.

With no real genuine Australian Open on the mens side of the draw and no Lleyton Hewitt who people got behind even in the latter stages of his career when he wasn’t a real threat of winning the tournament needed something special.

At the start of the two weeks of Tennis I noticed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were on opposite sides of the draw. Like many as the two weeks went on every night we were watching and hoping that they could get over their next opponent. Once upon a time victory would have been almost a given in most of these matches but not so this year with age and history of injuries not on their side.

Which is why what we saw at Melbourne Park in January was so special. Two of the best Tennis players of all time, maybe the two best ever going at it once again. It was the only final I remember that the majority of people didn’t really have a favourite. Sure, some were leaning towards one or the other but most just wanted the final to keep going as long as it possibly could. 

By the end of it nobody could deny Roger Federer yet another Grand Slam victory but the sportsmanship shown by these two players all throughout the tournament and in particular the final was so good to see.
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The Australian Open without doubt is my favourite two weeks of Sport every year and no matter what happens I’m sure it’s going to deliver some very special moments again in just a couple of weeks time.

The Melbourne Storm this year were almost simply unstoppable. At the start of the year not many game them a chance to win the comp. Most thought they were to old and their were big question marks on the fitness of Billy Slater.

Well they definitely proved everyone wrong. 

The Storm’s dominance throughout season 2017 was something you won’t see in NRL very often. From the moment they started the season they looked a few steps ahead of any other team this year and that continued all throughout the season.

Not that they needed another reason but when Cooper Cronk announced midway through the year that it would be his last year at the Melbourne Storm it gave them yet another reason to take out the title in 2017. The class he showed all through the season and after the season speaks volumes about the man he is.

I’ve watched NRL for about 20 years now and not once have I basically declared the premiers in July but it just seemed all year that Melbourne was going to win it. Yes, they could have hot some injuries but that seemed like the only thing that was going to stop them.

They had their challenges but sides like the Roosters were quite a way behind them and teams would have needed a lot of luck to stop the Storm juggernaut this year.
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A great team display all year, one of the best I’ve ever seen in any sport. They will have their challenges next year without Cooper Cronk but when they’ve still got Slater, Smith and Bellamy at the helm they will always be hard to beat.

SWR Sport's Jonothan Gallo lists his 5 favourite sporting moments of 2017

Socceroos qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia-after the longest campaign in history of World Cup qualifying, the Socceroos finally managed to secure a qualification through to Russia.

​I believe this was a massive moment due to the potential consequences for football in this country had the Socceroos not qualified. Plus, the mounting pressure under Ange at the time as well.

The Matilda's stunned everybody by winning the Tournament of nations against one of the women’s more dominating forces in world football, Brazil.
A 6-1 goal fest combined with a masterclass in possession based style of football, really caught the eyes of the entire World. Since then, the Matildas have beaten Brazil on two other separate occasions. 3-2 up in Newcastle and 2-1 in Penrith.

​A wonderful year for the Matildas who are by the far the best footballing team representing Australia and the best national Women’s team across any code in this country bar none

Richmond finally winning the AFL Premiership, after a 37 year drought to be over deserves to be on the list.
For Tigers fans to have to wait that long to see success, I think any sporting fan can sympathise with them.
​A truly deserved premiership win for such a historic AFL footy club.

For her to be 8 weeks pregnant and still end up winning the Australian Open, tells you how great of a tennis player and athlete Serena Williams is.

​She defied the odds to win this one to really stake her claim as the best tennis player the women’s game has ever seen.

For the Kangaroos to take home the rugby league world cup was a great achievement.

​Despite a lot of expectations and media light on the Kangaroos, they responded to it each and every game. With great performances, came great results to match.

Melbourne United have announced their legitimacy as championship contenders with a 103-79 blowout win over the struggling Sydney Kings on Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena.


The Kings led 46-44 after an impressive shooting performance in the opening half, but once the shots dried up and Melbourne’s defence locked in, Sydney had no answers to the NBL’s hottest team, who have won five straight to vault into second place on the NBL ladder.


Melbourne unleashed a devastating second half in front of a stunned home crowd of over 6,000, getting whatever they wanted offensively and restricting the Kings at almost every turn defensively in outscoring the purple and gold 59-33 in the final twenty minutes.


United won their seventh straight game in Sydney, continuing their perfect record as a franchise in the Harbour City.


Jerome Randle (26 points, five assists) tried everything to inspire his team in a breathtaking individual duel with Melbourne’s dynamic point guard Casper Ware (26 points, five assists), but Melbourne were far more desperate, clearly more committed, and showed why they will be one of the teams fighting it out for the NBL crown this season.


Head Coach Andrew Gaze was a bitterly disappointed man afterwards.


“We’ve got some significant issues, and we have had all season,” he said.


“Some of them are form things which are relatively correctable, but there are some deeper issues which we can’t ignore internally that we’ve got to figure out a way to overcome.”


“When you are in a situation like we are in, sometimes it can be put in the too-hard basket, and the biggest test that we have for the remainder of the season is the character test.”


“Intrinsically, the game is built that you are rewarded for scoring. But ultimately, for the team to be successful, you have to have guys that are willing to do those things that aren’t always recognised.”


“When you don’t have that, it’s going to be an uphill battle.”


Randle, whose effort was labelled “extraordinary” by his head coach, echoed Andrew’s words.


“You gotta have heart, and that’s what it boils down to,” he said.


“This is a man’s game and a serious competition, and you do not want to be embarrassed. It’s very embarrassing to be blown out on your home court.”


“My pride is hurt, and everyone’s pride should be hurt from that.”


Sydney has a week to lick their wounds with the defending NBL champions Perth coming to town next Saturday night.


MELBOURNE UNITED 103 (Ware 26, Goulding 18, Boone 18) def. SYDNEY KINGS 79 (Randle 26, Ellis 13, Blanchfield 10) at Qudos Bank Arena.

Source: Matt McQuade (sydneykings.com.au)

SWR Sport's year in review continues with Curtis Figon from the "Real Football Show" taking a look at his favourite sporting moments from the year.

Having only played a handful of minutes for months Mile Jedinak answered the nation’s desperate SOS call.

A rollercoaster ride of a World Cup qualifying campaign led the Socceroos to a final playoff against Honduras reminiscent of the legendary tie against Uruguay in 2005.
​
​After three halves of football without a goal and nerves starting to settle in Jedinak lashed a free kick into the back of the net, then sealing the tie with two neatly tucked away penalties, becoming the most unlikely hat trick hero in football and sending the Socceroos on their way to Russia.

The Australian Open led to two legendary tales. On the men’s side of the draw both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal renewed their legendary rivalry and reminded the tennis world that they aren’t leaving the podium anytime soon.

Federer heading into the tournament dropped to the 17th seed due to a six month injury lay off, leading to many doubts that he could end his five year long grand slam drought.
​
Federer trailing 3-1 in the final set won five straight games to seal his 18th grand slam title, setting the tone for his Wimbledon victory months later.

Serena Williams won her 7th Australian Open title without even dropping a set, disposing of her older sister Venus in the final.
Though the headlines didn’t stop there after revelation in April stated that Serena was four months pregnant, meaning that she was roughly around eight weeks pregnant during the Australian Open!

​Only one grand slam title away from equalling Margaret Court’s record of 24, 2018 is shaping up to be a record setting year for Superhuman Serena. 

Imagine sitting in PE class and thinking that your teacher could stop the greatest boxer in the world one day. Absolutely crazy and just a nonsense dream?

Queenslander Jeff Horn did just that, beating legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title.
​
​Winning by unanimous decision, Horn shocked the boxing world where he didn’t receive much of a chance. Horn planted his name in Australian sporting folklore and went on to successfully defend his title against Gary Cocoran but Pacquiao is waiting in the shadows. 

For the first time in a very long time the entire world had their eyes on France’s Ligue 1.
​
A competition in complete control of financial giants Paris-St Germain were heading into the 2016/17 campaign on the back of four straight titles.

Yet the Parisians pressed the self destruction button and had to watch a brilliant AS Monaco side go onto lift the title. A team featuring of young talent and past heroes ruled over France under their microstate thumb, even reaching the semi finals of the Champions League.

Though as seen with many lower rated clubs success led to punishment. Monaco watched on as four key starters moved onto bigger, richer clubs including their prized teenage hero Kylian Mbappe, who left for Paris alongside world record signing Neymar.
​
​Though the 2017 title victory will be celebrated for a long time on the Mediterranean coast.

Three things I’m looking forward to in 2018 -

1. The World Cup! Can’t believe it’s almost been four years.
2. James Graham and Ben Hunt joining the Red V. St George Illawarra lacked leadership and an additional playmaker last season and they’ve gained two important pieces to the puzzle. 
3. Gordon Hayward’s return. If the Boston Celtics are punching above their weight without him, watch out for Lucky the Leprechaun when Hayward lines up alongside Irving, Horford and some of the best young talent in the NBA. 

As we close the book on 2017 the SWR Sport team takes a look back at their favourite sporting moments of the year, beginning with W-League and NPL expert Chrissi Trajscka.

When you ask me what were the greatest moments in sport for 2017, well nothing comes rushing to the light more than the voice of Simon Hill echoing through the TV “ALL RISE FOR THE GREATEST GOAL SCORER AUSTRALIA HAS EVER SEEN” as Timmy Cahill drives the ball into the back of the net with his famous goal scoring weapon, his mighty forehead.

Scoring 2 against Syria and off to the final qualifying round we go.
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The World Cup Qualifiers were the games that had the entire nation on the edge of their seats, if not already on their feet.

Final stop, Honduras. And after all the smart words and doubt, controversy and tension, my God did Mile Jedinak give them a show to remember, as the critics and opposition ate their words.

The curtain close, second and final leg at ANZ stadium, 3 on the night, a hat trick and a spot in the World Cup, all thanks to our Captain.
​
Now it’s time to take on the world.  

Not once, not twice but THREE TIMES did our women’s national team completely demolish the Brazilian women’s national team. 6 – 1 at the Tournament of Nations, in the end coming home with the Trophy.

​The second time on home soil, resulting in a 2-1 win and a massive crowd attendance of 15,089 in Penrith. Then the final match, meeting only days later, ending in a 3-2 win and an even higher crowd attendance of 16,829 in Newcastle.

It’s safe to say the future of women’s football in Australia is safe, with a team like this and the likes of our young goal scoring, multi award winning star, Samantha Kerr, there is nowhere to go but up. And up is exactly where our ladies went on the FIFA ranking ladder, now sitting 4th in the world.

Well it’s no secret that Sydney FC have been the best they have ever been. Taking the
A-league title, Premiers Plate and the FFA Cup. The sheer skill and strength this team has at the moment is admirable, unstoppable, unbeatable, invincible…well, that was until cross town rivals, the Western Sydney Wanderers, ended their unbeaten run during the 16/17 season.
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It is also no secret how unlucky the Western Sydney boys have been on the field but that one night, they shone brighter than any team in the league.

​The player who stood above all, “Brendon Santalab, Santalab, Breeendon Santalab, la la la la la la la la la, Brendon Santalab” was chanted throughout the city that night. 1-0. Leaving Sydney FC fuming, out of all teams to silence them, the only loss their entire season was to their most hated rivals.

It lasted 2 more derby games before Sydney FC reclaimed the city in an embarrassing display for the red and black, ending in a 5-0 win. But hey, it was fun while it lasted. Until the next Derby.

The 16/17 A-league Grand Final, a final that had it all. Controversy, history, rivalry, skill, comebacks and an atmosphere to make your heart explode.
​
​It was Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, two historic rivals who have both claimed the prize in the past and both eager to have their names etched into the silverware again. Besart Berisha with the first goal in the first half, shaking Allianz to it’s very core. The second half came with an equalizer with a frantic goal from Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant, sending The Cove into a frenzy.

Into extra time we go, chances from both ends but none good enough to give them a lead. PENALTIES IT IS.

All seemed to be going so well until the miss from Alex Wilkinson, seemed like all hope was lost for FC. Victory lead. Until Valarie hits the cross bar, “Clink”, a sound that haunts Kevin Muscat and now Carl Valeri too.
And then it could only get worse for Victory as guardian of the goals, Danny Vukovic stops Marco Rojas in his tracks, the perfect Mark Schwarzer style save. And Ninkovic sealing it for the Sky Blues, the champions of Australia again for the first time in 7 years.

2018 is literally around the corner, along with it, the FIFA World Cup, the A-league Finals, the Asian Champions League, UEFA Champions League and so much more.

​Here’s to the new year, it’s gonna be a grand one.

A ferocious comeback in the final two minutes fell short for the Sydney Kings on Thursday night at Qudos Bank Arena, with the purple and gold unable to overcome the New Zealand Breakers, going down 99-95.

The Breakers led 92-83 in the final two minutes and all looked lost for the home team, until they brought the desperation and fight they so badly needed to almost steal the game.

A jumper from Jeremy Tyler (23 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots) followed by a massive triple from Brad Newley (15 points, six rebounds, six assists) reduced the margin to just two and had the Qudos Bank Arena crowd roaring.

Edgar Sosa answered with a clutch jumper before Jerome Randle (20 points, three assists) responded with a layup, but when Sydney’s floor general fouled Shae Ili on a shot attempt, Jerome picked up his fifth and final foul and had to watch the remaining drama from the bench.

Ili made one of two from the free throw line to extend the margin to four, and after a miss by Tyler and a free throw from Loe, Todd Blanchfield buried a triple with eight seconds left.

Sydney fouled quickly, and Sosa nailed two free throws before Ili came up big once again with a steal from Blanchfield to preserve New Zealand’s victory.

A major talking point after the game was a contentious flop warning called on Newley in the third quarter which stalled Sydney’s momentum, but while he admitted that he felt the officials got the call wrong, Head Coach Andrew Gaze refused to use it as an excuse for the loss.

“I think they made an unfortunate mistake with that call,” he said.

“I concede that it’s tough sometimes and it’s hard sometimes to know what is and isn’t a flop.”

“To me it was absolutely perfect defence and he should have got the reward.”

“But New Zealand earned that win. They shot the ball incredibly well, and I keep telling the fellas that if we’ve got to score 100 we’re going to lose most games.”

In contrast to last Sunday’s game, the Kings came out of the blocks exceptionally well, with Randle and Tyler keying a 14-6 lead for the home team in the opening four minutes.

But in what became a recurring theme throughout the game, defensive breakdowns and poor decisions began to hurt, with the Breakers storming back to trail by just one, 25-24, after one period.

Tyler was in an aggressive mood in the second quarter, hitting several jumpers and throwing down a thunderous jam to give the Kings an 11 point lead midway through the quarter.

Sydney had all the momentum and the opportunity to put their boot on New Zealand’s throat. However, Rob Loe (24 points) hit a big triple to give the Breakers life, and while Sydney were the better team, they led by just five at the half in a worrying sign.

Again the Kings pushed out the lead to 10 on the back of a Perry Ellis dunk with two minutes gone in the third period. And again, the visitors were able to reel them in, with Edgar Sosa hitting five quick points to keep the Breakers close and ultimately push them to a 71-69 lead as the teams turned for home.

Ultimately, the game was decided during a two minute stretch of the fourth when the Breakers made three straight layups followed by an Ili jumper to push the margin out to nine. Try as they might, Sydney could never get past New Zealand after that 8-0 run.

The Kings now face a difficult test this Saturday night as they take on the resurgent Brisbane Bullets at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 99 (Loe 24, Sosa 21, Penney 13) def. SYDNEY KINGS 95 (Tyler 23, Randle 20, Newley 15) at Qudos Bank Arena.

Source: Matt McQuade (SydneyKings.com.au)

It may be the Christmas season but the sport keeps on coming on SWR Sport!

Thursday is a trans tasman NBL encounter as the New Zealand Breakers make their first appearance on SWR Sport as they face a Sydney Kings side who literally have no more room for error this season. The Kings scored a battling win over the Cairns Taipans on Sunday, can they get their 5th win of the season?  

Then Friday night the Western Sydney Wanderers head back up the M1 for their second meeting with the Newcastle Jets this season at McDonald Jones Stadium.
In Round 4 the Wanderers and Jets played out a 1-1 draw in Newcastle, will the Wanderers continue the momentum from their controversial win over the Mariners last week?

Saturday sees us return to the South Coast as the Illawarra Hawks host last years Grand Final conquerors the Perth Wildcats at the WEC.

SWR Sport is the proud home of the Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings and your Western Sydney Wanderers!

THURSDAY December 21st

SYDNEY Kings vs NEW ZEALAND Breakers
Qudos Bank Arena, Homebush
7pm-9:30pm on SWR Sport 1 (swr999.com.au/sport)
Callers: Julian Daw, Matt McQuade & Ben Knight

FRIDAY December 22nd

NEWCASTLE Jets vs WESTERN SYDNEY Wanderers
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
7-10pm on SWR Triple 9 (99.9FM), SWR Sport 2 (swr999.com.au/sport) & myfootballnation.com
Callers: Julian Daw, Jack Clifton & Jonothan Gallo

SATURDAY December 23rd

ILLAWARRA Hawks vs PERTH Wildcats
WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
7-9:35pm on SWR Sport 1 (swr999.com.au/sport)
Callers: Matt McQuade & Jonothan Gallo

A dominant performance from Josh Boone has powered Melbourne United to a 95-69 blowout victory over the Sydney Kings on Monday night at Hisense Arena.

Boone ripped down 10 rebounds in the first half and finished with an impressive 17 point, 17 rebound double-double to lead United to a comfortable win after the Kings stayed competitive with the home team in the first quarter.

But with Boone controlling the paint and both Chris Goulding (23 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Casey Prather (21 points, four rebounds) taking turns in blasting away from long distance, an injury and illness-wracked Sydney couldn’t keep up with the Melbourne offensive juggernaut, who beat the visitors for the second time in 2017/2018.

Jerome Randle took to the floor suffering a bad case of the flu and lacked his usual spark while Perry Ellis manfully pushed through a shoulder injury that has limited him for the past couple of games, but he wasn’t his normal effective self, despite finishing with 16 points.

Regardless, it was the same old story for the purple and gold. Lacklustre defensive containment, poor execution offensively and not enough focus on slowing down Melbourne’s formidable transition game cost them time and again.

“The result was disappointing and I don’t think we played well,” Head Coach Andrew Gaze said afterwards.

“Some of our problems were self-inflicted and (Melbourne) beat us in a variety of categories.”

“Sometimes our defence was solid without being great, and sometimes it was poor.”

“Offensively, very little was coming from our structure. We’ve need to find a way to get better shots through our structure in order to help our defence.”

“We’ve got to get better in a whole lot of areas.”

The Kings trailed 49-34 at half time despite the best efforts of Ellis and Jeremy Tyler, who combined for 18 points in the first ten minutes after Brad Newley’s eight first quarter points kept the Kings in range early.

But with Melbourne getting whatever they wanted to offensively and Sydney collectively struggling to put the ball in the hole; United inexorably ground down the Kings, who lost their sixth consecutive game on the road to fall to 3-12 on the season and must now regroup with some crucial games to come at Qudos Bank Arena.

Despite the team’s current predicament, Newley was defiant in the post-game media conference.

“As far as I’m concerned, Wednesday will be the first time we’ve had a full list at training,” he said.

“We’ve got 13 games to go, and we’ve just got to leave it all out there.”

“The big thing is we keep believing in Andrew’s philosophies and I believe we can only get better.”

“As of Wednesday, we get back Kevin Lisch and Todd Blanchfield, we come back out on Sunday, and we’ll give it our best shot for the rest of the year.”

Coach Gaze echoed his player’s comments.

“I enjoy the fight,” he stated.

“I enjoy the battle. I enjoy trying to figure out a way to get out of this.”

“As long as my (backside) points to the ground, I won’t be quitting.”

MELBOURNE UNITED 95 (Goulding 23, Prather 21, Boone 17) def. SYDNEY KINGS 69 (Newley 18, Ellis 16, Tyler 13) at Hisense Arena.

Source: Matt McQuade (SydneyKings.com.au)

He has been hot and cold all season, but Perth dynamo Bryce Cotton torched the Illawarra Hawks for a season-high 36 points in Sunday's 99-91 victory in Wollongong.

Cotton, who blasted the Hawks for 45 to clinch last year's grand final series, was back to his blistering best, connecting on 7/11 threes.

The Cats also received a strong contribution off the bench from Derek Cooke Jr (19 points, seven rebounds), while JP Tokoto finished with 13 points after having just two at half-time.

Acrobatic Illawarra import Demitrius Conger returned with a bang after a one-game suspension, pouring in a team-high 30.

But the reigning champions absorbed the Hawks' best punches for three quarters before pulling away down the stretch and joining New Zealand at the top of the ladder with a 10-3 record.

The Hawks slipped to 5-8 but will be comforted by the fact their next six games are in Wollongong.

Kevin White moved back into the starting five to cover the absence of injured guard Mitch Norton and helped the Hawks jump out to a 13-8 lead.

But Cotton signalled his intentions by nailing his first four shots, as the 'Cats peeled off a 12-2 run.

Illawarra coach Rob Beveridge held his breath when AJ Ogilvy went down injured after six minutes. The three-time All-NBL centre headed to the locker room before returning to the court in the second period and finishing the game with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Luckily for the Hawks, Conger was cooking from the get-go, racking up nine points and three boards in the first quarter.

Cotton nailed a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to give the visitors a 25-24 quarter-time lead.

Illawarra gave Cotton less room to operate in the second period, allowing him to add just four to his tally.

Conger upped his total to 14 by half-time and Clarke had 10, which included a long-distance bomb and a dazzling reverse layup.

The 'Cats were slapped with two technicals in the first half and Tokoto was uncharacteristically cold, missing seven of eight shots and racking up three fouls and three turnovers.

But Perth got timely help from the bench with Cooke Jr's 10 points and four rebounds, taking a 46-44 lead into the main break.

Cotton kept the 'Cats in front with a couple of early threes in the third period, though it didn't stop coach Trevor Gleeson using a timeout after one too many defensive lapses.

He got the response he was after, as Perth knuckled down at both ends to pull ahead 71-64 at three-quarter time.

They kept the Hawks at bay down the stretch to stay on track for the minor premiership.

​PERTH WILDCATS 99 (Cotton 36, Cooke Jr 19, Tokoto 13)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 91 (Conger 30, Clarke 12, Kay 11