Snakes & Ladders: What's next for the Cairns Taipans

• Cairns Taipans finished ninth at 9–24 in NBL26
• Injuries cost 137 total games across roster
• Head coach Adam Forde outlines three-tier roster rebuild

Money doesn’t buy happiness (debatable), and in the case of the Cairns Taipans NBL26 campaign success.

“We’re kind of in the same predicament as we were this time last year,” head coach Adam Forde said.

“There’s still no ownership — whether that happens or not.

“You look at the success of the top three teams — it’s really three levels, right.

“It’s loading up on the talent. (Brian Goorjian) probably said it two seasons ago — you need two marquees, you need to get the imports right.

“One of the things happening now, and most teams will do moving forward, is having that third import spot — injury replacement players if something happens during the season.

“Regardless of whether we get ownership or not, what the club’s doing a great job of is trying to put us in a position where we can build that talent.

“We’ve always had no problem recruiting talent — (Sam) Waardenburg, Jack (McVeigh), Reyne (Smith), previous seasons with Taran (Armstrong) … no issues recruiting talent.

“The next layer is building out that depth — having a strong bench. Then the third thing, which has become more of a necessity now — what was a luxury five or six years ago — is having that fire insurance when a marquee goes down.

“When Waardenburg went down at the start of the season, we’re losing seven games.

“We’ve got to be in a position to be able to do that. This off-season is primarily about putting us in a position where we can make those changes, recruit the talent we need, build the bench and depth we need — and then that third level, so if your marquee goes down for half a season, you can actually pull the trigger.”

Forde succinctly summarised the Taipans' ninth-placed finish.

Cairns Taipans NBL26 Record

| Team              | Record | GP | PPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% | APG | BPG | SPG | TPG | RPG | F  |
|-------------------|--------|----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----|
| Cairns Taipans    | 9-24   | 33 | 83.5 | 66.9 | 29.6 | 44  | 29.9 | 10.0 | 33  | 18.9 | 14.3 | 76  | 19.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 13.0 | 37.6 | 18.9 |

Players by Games Played

| Player              | GP | Missed |
| Jack McVeigh        | 29 | 4      |
| Sam Waardenburg     | 8  | 25     |
| Andrew Andrews      | 31 | 2      |
| Mojave King         | 22 | 11     |
| Reyne Smith         | 14 | 19     |
| Admiral Schofield   | 30 | 3      |
| Kyrin Galloway      | 33 | 0      |
| Marcus Lee          | 33 | 0      |
| Kody Stattmann      | 23 | 10     |
| Alex Higgins-Titsha | 9  | 24     |
| Lachlan Barker      | 26 | 7      |
| Mawot Mag           | 16 | 17     |
| Kyle Adnam          | 18 | 15     |

Cairns was decimated by injuries, losing a combined 137 through injuries. That’s the equivalent of 4.15 full player seasons lost to absence across the rotation.

“The league’s got so competitive now,” Forde added.

“To win a championship, there’s an element of luck, right? It’s still true. Even rolling into this post-season — I’m trying to think… oh, ‘Shea Ili from Melbourne — he comes back, he’s impactful’, then he goes down again. There’s an element of luck.

“But you want to minimise that. What’s the percentage of luck? If you had to put a number on it — what is it — and you want to minimise it.

“Being able to put yourself in a position where the majority of your success isn’t based on how lucky you are with the roster and managing injuries — that’s probably the biggest indicator this year.

“I’ve never seen anything like it — we flag the injuries, but the amount of import turnover, too, has to be a record this year.”

Star import Waardenburg (25 games), Alex Higgins-Titsha (24) and Reyne Smith (19) were among the most affected. While key pieces like Kyrin Galloway and Marcus Lee played every game, the Taipans rarely had continuity across their full rotation, disrupting chemistry, role clarity and defensive cohesion in a season where consistency proved decisive.

Cairns Taipans NBL26 Box Scores

Jack McVeigh
29 GP │ 21.2 PPG │ 7.5–15.0 FG (50%) │ 2.4–6.6 3PT (36%) │ 3.9–4.4 FT (88%) │ 4.0 APG │ 0.6 BPG │ 0.5 SPG │ 2.4 TPG

Sam Waardenburg
8 GP │ 15.5 PPG │ 5.4–9.5 FG (56%) │ 1.3–2.9 3PT (43%) │ 3.5–4.4 FT (80%) │ 2.8 APG │ 0.8 BPG │ 0.5 SPG │ 2.0 TPG

Andrew Andrews
31 GP │ 14.8 PPG │ 5.1–12.9 FG (40%) │ 1.7–5.5 3PT (31%) │ 2.9–3.8 FT (77%) │ 7.6 APG │ 0.2 BPG │ 0.6 SPG │ 3.8 TPG

Mojave King
22 GP │ 11.3 PPG │ 4.0–8.8 FG (46%) │ 1.9–4.8 3PT (39%) │ 1.5–2.0 FT (74%) │ 1.5 APG │ 0.3 BPG │ 0.4 SPG │ 1.3 TPG

Reyne Smith
14 GP │ 9.9 PPG │ 3.4–8.6 FG (39%) │ 2.0–5.6 3PT (36%) │ 1.1–1.2 FT (94%) │ 1.3 APG │ 0.1 BPG │ 0.6 SPG │ 0.8 TPG

Admiral Schofield
30 GP │ 8.8 PPG │ 3.2–7.9 FG (40%) │ 1.5–4.7 3PT (32%) │ 0.9–1.5 FT (62%) │ 1.4 APG │ 0.3 BPG │ 0.3 SPG │ 1.7 TPG

Kyrin Galloway
33 GP │ 7.6 PPG │ 2.8–6.2 FG (44%) │ 1.2–3.5 3PT (35%) │ 0.9–1.2 FT (76%) │ 0.7 APG │ 0.9 BPG │ 0.5 SPG │ 0.5 TPG

Marcus Lee
33 GP │ 6.8 PPG │ 2.8–4.7 FG (59%) │ 0.0 3PT │ 1.2–2.5 FT (49%) │ 1.2 APG │ 1.1 BPG │ 0.5 SPG │ 1.1 TPG

Kody Stattmann
23 GP │ 6.6 PPG │ 2.1–5.4 FG (40%) │ 0.7–2.1 3PT (31%) │ 1.7–2.0 FT (84%) │ 1.0 APG │ 0.2 BPG │ 0.4 SPG │ 0.8 TPG

Alex Higgins-Titsha
9 GP │ 6.3 PPG │ 2.6–5.6 FG (46%) │ 0.6–2.1 3PT (26%) │ 0.7–1.4 FT (46%) │ 1.0 APG │ 0.7 BPG │ 1.0 SPG │ 1.0 TPG

Lachlan Barker
26 GP │ 4.5 PPG │ 1.5–3.5 FG (43%) │ 0.5–1.6 3PT (34%) │ 0.8–1.0 FT (85%) │ 1.3 APG │ 0.0 BPG │ 0.1 SPG │ 0.5 TPG

Mawot Mag
16 GP │ 2.9 PPG │ 1.0–2.6 FG (39%) │ 0.3–0.9 3PT (36%) │ 0.6–0.8 FT (69%) │ 0.5 APG │ 0.1 BPG │ 0.5 SPG │ 0.4 TPG

Kyle Adnam
18 GP │ 2.5 PPG │ 0.7–3.8 FG (19%) │ 0.2–1.7 3PT (10%) │ 0.9–0.9 FT (100%) │ 1.3 APG │ 0.0 BPG │ 0.1 SPG │ 0.9 TPG

Lloyd McVeigh
10 GP │ 1.3 PPG │ 0.4–1.4 FG (28%) │ 0.0–0.4 3PT │ 0.5–0.5 FT (100%) │ 0.1 APG │ 0.0 BPG │ 0.0 SPG │ 0.2 TPG

Kian Dennis
1 GP │ 0.0 PPG │ No FGA │ 1.0 APG │ 0 turnovers

Jed Richardson
3 GP │ 0.0 PPG │ No FGA │ 0.0 APG │ 0 turnovers

The Taipans entered NBL26 declaring a new era but finished ninth at 9–24, despite one of the most aggressive off-seasons in club history.

In May 2025, club president Troy Stone made it clear: the community model was limiting Cairns’ championship ambitions. Privatisation was actively being explored, with NBL backing, as the Taipans sought the “right buyer” to inject capital and close the financial gap to powerhouse clubs.

The message was blunt – survival was possible without private ownership, but genuine title contention would get harder every year.

Forde stepped away after NBL25 but stunned the league by returning in June 2025. After a stint with Australia’s gold medal-winning 3x3 team, Forde re-committed to what he described as the club’s “new era”.

The tone shifted immediately: evolution, accountability and ambition.

Cairns didn’t just reload – they went to market.

Key signings included:

• Jack McVeigh – 2024 NBL champion, reportedly on marquee money
• Reyne Smith – elite volume three-point shooter from Louisville
• Admiral Schofield – former NBA forward
• Ashton Hagans – American point guard (replaced by Andrew Andrews in September, 2025)
• Marcus Lee – import centre depth
• Mawot Mag – Australian wing talent

For a club that had ranked 10th in spending, the messaging was unmistakable: no more “low budget” excuses.

The roster construction was rock solid and built to compete but Cairns simply couldn't keep bodies on the floor.

"You can see it now because our league finishes up — and this is happening for our guys right now — a portion of the team is flying back to Cairns, and the other portion is going out to their next gig,” Forde said.

“You’ve seen it in previous years with the influx of money in leagues like China — teams can be really good in the CBA, and then they’ll bring in some of our guys because the league finishes early, trial them for a month to see if they’re better than what they’ve got. You can make 100,000 a month.

“Rob Edwards was with us last year — he got released because it was a very impressive number for a month trial. When I first started as an assistant coach, guys stayed back and worked on their bodies or played state leagues. Now, guys are playing in Puerto Rico, China and Japan.

“Credit to what Larry (Kestleman)’s done with the league to market it, but also the level of talent.

“High-level international teams and competitions are looking at these Australian guys and putting them on European teams or Asian teams.

“It’s good. It’s the strength of the league, and it’s only going to keep getting better.”

One player Cairns doesn’t need to worry about is McVeigh, who signed a million-dollar deal before the start of NBL25 and has re-upped for NBL26.

“Oh yeah — massive,” Forde declared.

“And the fact that he’s already called it early that he’s coming back is a big recruiting piece, a confidence piece.

“Even now, when you talk about potential ownership, it’s kind of cool knowing you could buy a house with a Ferrari in the garage, right.

“He’s been amazing — what he brings to the team, what he does with the guys that goes unseen, the extra work he gets the guys putting on the floor.

“He’s done it — KG (Galloway) had a bit of a dip game today, but he’s done a great job with KG trying to get him to another level as well, which has nothing to do with me. That’s purely the work Jack and KG put in.

“The fact he’s coming back, it gives you that main centrepiece, and then you start to build around it — what it looks like.”

Another player Forde identified was Kody Stattmann, and his emergence from a development player role to a key contributor.

“He’s taking the opportunity, right?” Forde said.

“With Reyne being out for two-thirds of the season, you get those opportunities.

“He’s a big scoring guard, and his ability to engage a little bit with the help-side defence has improved and gotten better.

“It’s good — and as I said, he’s obviously looking forward to his first Boomers call-up for the FIBA windows. He’s just slowly stacking days and will continue to get better.”

The Core Problem

The Taipans’ narrative changed – their results did not.

For years, Cairns were praised for “punching above their weight.” In NBL26, they invested like a contender but performed like a rebuilding side. Injuries played a role again, but expectations had shifted.

The club that publicly declared its championship intent in August ended the season nine wins from 33 games.

Where It Leaves Cairns

The privatisation conversation now carries more urgency.

If this was the first year of the “big boy pants” era, it exposed how much more than spending is required to become a genuine NBL heavyweight.

Cairns proved they can attract talent. They now have to prove they can build a stable, injury-free winning culture around it.

For a club that has never won a championship, NBL26 was meant to be the turning point.

Instead, it became another reminder: ambition alone doesn’t move you up the ladder.

“What I really love about the group and Cairns and everybody in charge is they see the vision, and they’re building towards it,” Forde said.

“People are working really hard. I give a lot of credit to (Mark) Beecroft, Troy Stone and the board.

“There’s a real sense of pride with the club — it’s not just anybody that’s going to come in and throw money around. They really have to look after the club and do right by it.

“It’s about trying to get the right people in place. It’s tough — a lot of meetings, a lot of conversations. I don’t envy it — it’s not a job I would want to do. But they’re working really diligently with that. I look forward to seeing what direction that goes in.

“I give them credit and praise and encouragement.”

Cairns Taipans – NBL26 Breakdown (33 Games)

Home vs Away Record

Home Games: 6–10

Wins:

• def Brisbane 83–82
• def New Zealand 99–95
• def Melbourne 93–92
• def Brisbane 88–83
• def Tasmania 96–93
• def Brisbane 81–72

Losses:

• lost to Adelaide 79–110
• lost to Perth 77–80
• lost to Adelaide 86–91
• lost to Perth 78–110
• lost to Melbourne 67–94
• lost to Illawarra 90–107
• lost to SEM 90–101
• lost to NZ 96–102
• lost to Tasmania 68–81
• lost to Sydney 92–106
• lost to SEM 96–111
• lost to Melbourne 85–89

Away Games: 3–14

Wins:

• def Sydney 77–74
• def Tasmania 75–69
• def Illawarra 93–76

Losses:

• lost to SEM 77–114
• lost to Melbourne 60–95
• lost to Brisbane 85–113
• lost to Adelaide 101–105
• lost to Sydney 77–117
• lost to Adelaide 73–93
• lost to Illawarra 78–96
• lost to NZ 86–104
• lost to Perth 69–106
• lost to SEM 91–118
• lost to Perth 84–98
• lost to NZ 84–115

Longest Losing Streak: 6 Games

Oct 2 – Oct 24: Adelaide; Perth; Melbourne; Adelaide; Perth; and Melbourne

Longest Winning Streak: 2 Games

Happened twice:

• Sep 26 – Sep 28 (Brisbane, Sydney)
• Jan 7 – Jan 12 (Melbourne, Brisbane)

Snapshot

• Overall Record: 9–24
• Home: 6–10
• Away: 3–14
• Largest skid came in October (six straight losses).
• Never won more than two consecutive games all season.