Roller Hawks head coach Brett Stibners is ready to return to the court if his side needs him to, with the 2026 season about to get underway. Photo: Supplied.
The Wollongong Roller Hawks head coach could soon be practising what he preaches with the Paralympic gold medallist preparing to suit up for his side at the start of the 2026 National Wheelchair Basketball League season.
Last year Brett Stibners swapped centre court for the sideline as he took on the role of steering the Roller Hawks just short of a national title, but he never officially retired as a player.
Now the head coach and national wheelchair basketball champion could be ready to bounce back in to support the team getting the best start in the new season.
“I’m going to take my chair to Brisbane, and if I’m needed, I’ll get on court and fill the minutes that we need, but I am not coming back to play a major role or fill a position,” Brett said.
“I’ll be there as a backup only.”
Brett moved up into the leadership position in 2025 to make way for Jontee Brown to have a starting role in the team, but Jontee is set to miss the first two rounds of the Australian competition due to playing in Türkiye.
Despite the absence, Brett is confident in the talent of the side which will be taking to the court come tip-off on 12 June.
“Huss (Shawn Russell) will be playing major minutes in those first two rounds, Ethan Hallak has come along a lot for the two years he’s been with us, and I’ll be looking to use him a lot more this year. And Steve (Elliott) will fill that role as well,” he said.
The arrival of Aussie Roller Phil Evans is also set to give the line-up a boost.
“Phil’s an all-round player. He works extremely hard. He’s fast. He can shoot. But the main thing about Phil and what’s gonna be really important for our team, he works for everybody, and it’s going to really improve what we want to do,” Brett said.
“We’ll be able to get up the floor with him, with Steve, and Tristan, Huss, Popes, Jontee, all of them. So, he’s really gonna improve what we’re doing already.”
After a disappointing grand final loss, the Roller Hawks are hunting for victory in 2026. Photo: Roller Hawks.
The new season also comes with new opportunities and a new coaching approach for the Roller Hawks with lessons learnt from a heavy defeat in the 2025 grand final.
“I’m very competitive. No-one likes losing. And it made me go away and think really hard about how I went about my job last year,” Brett said.
“I didn’t want to come in with a heavy hand last year, and I wanted the guys to play with their natural skills and their natural ability, whereas this year, I really want to focus on working on their strengths and how they can help the team.
“And the structure that we’ve implemented this season, or this preseason, will really help us and get the most out of each player individually.”
With the league’s reigning champions – the Darwin Salties – no longer competing and their skilled players spread across other teams, it’s anyone’s game.
“There’s no clear favourite this year,” Brett said.
“There’s probably three teams, maybe four, that can win, and on any given day, you don’t know who’s going to win.”
The Just Better Care Roller Hawks’ season begins in Brisbane against the Southern Districts Spartans on 12 June, before their first home round against the Perth Wheelcats on 19 June.
For the full draw visit the Roller Hawks website.
