Target stars playing twice to 'Break' coach Trez

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Three teams play twice. that's the defining factor for selecting your NBL SuperCoach Beat the Coach team for NBL26 Round 1 this week.

Tasmania, Melbourne, and New Zealand each have two games, making their stars must-target selections. Rostering players with two games significantly raises scoring potential, especially those capable of producing double doubles (+5) or triple doubles (+10).

Sydney and Adelaide don't play round one because they are competing against EuroLeague teams this weekend while NBL25 Champions Illawarra have a bye.

Avoid the trap for new players: don't select players from these three teams, instead, look for stars and value from the three teams that are playing twice.

Round 1 Fixtures

• Thursday, September 18 – Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United (MyState Bank Arena)
• Friday September 19 – New Zealand Breakers vs Brisbane Bullets (Spark Arena)
• Saturday September 20 – South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Cairns Taipans (John Cain Arena)
• Saturday September 20 – Perth Wildcats vs Tasmania JackJumpers (RAC Arena)
• Sunday September 21 – Melbourne United vs New Zealand Breakers (John Cain Arena)

Strategy for Round 1

• Double-game advantage: Tasmania, Melbourne, and New Zealand all play twice → their stars should be prioritised.
• Target weak defenses: Brisbane (97.8 OPP PPG) and Cairns (95.5 OPP PPG) gave up the most points last season.
• Avoid low-possession clashes: Tasmania’s league-low pace, based on the 2024-25 season stats, reduces fantasy output.
• Best plays: JackJumpers big Will Magnay ($331,600) has a projected 63 points in round 1, Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($391,900) plays twice and has a 74-point projection but that's half the $1.4M salary cap already busted but they are virtual must-haves.

Magnay, coming off a season ending injury in NBL25, has played against Melbourne United seven times in his career, delivering a high score of 56 at an average of 25.9 while he's played the Perth Wildcats five times for an average of 24.4.

Former JackJumpers forward Milton Doyle ($276,500) has moved to Melbourne United for NBL26 and also plays twice, including against his former club. Expect boom in the first game of the season instead of bust.

As it stands now, before lock-out, Beat the Coach Montrezl Harrell has gone with the Breakers cheaper option Izaiah Brockington ($277,000) as his captain while Melbourne United shooting guard Chris Goulding ($242,100) his vice-captain. He only has three players that play twice, which opens the door for your first win.

All 10 NBL teams have retooled their rosters ahead of the 2025-26 season but coaches have remained the same, except Brisbane. Using last season as a form guide is still useful and understanding how new players will perform within those systems is crucial. Don't sleep on players who didn't contribute as much last year, especially the rising stars such as Ben Henshall, because their roles will expand into more minutes ... and more points. But not this week, Henshall only plays once.

TL'DR: Pick players that are suiting up twice, make your big money spend the captain or if you think Goulding is going to go off, three-point field goals are worth 3 points if he lights it up then his fantasy points to rack up!

Scoring System (Quick Recap)

• 2pt FG = 2, 3pt FG = 3, FT = 1
• Rebound = 1
• Assist = 2
• Block = 3
• Steal = 3
• Turnover = -2
• Double Double = +5
• Triple Double = +10 (not cumulative)

About the Author

Peter Brown is the head coach of the Sydney Comets Women’s Youth League team in the Waratah Basketball League in NSW. He is also the assistant coach for the Comets NBL1 women’s team in the NBL East Conference. Peter is a 30-year journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the NT News in the early 1990s. He played junior basketball for the Northern Territory at national championships from U16 to U20 and for the Territory’s senior men’s team at numerous international tournaments. Peter has been a basketball fan since the early 80s, especially the NBA. Basketball is his passion — and his opinions his own. Email peter.brown@basketball.com.au with feedback. Any email feedback on articles sent to Peter can be published on basketball.com.au for others to read.