Oduro pours 'Cole' water on Cairns in Sam's return

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New Zealander Sam Waardenburg ($277,500) said it was a happy second homecoming as Melbourne United capitalised on Cairns' 18 turnovers to push back to .500 with a professional 113-97 win in Round 7 of NBL27 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Cairns.

Waardenburg, 27, played for Cairns for four seasons before signing with United in the off-season.

"It's been good to see everyone throughout the Taipans as well. Four years here, and I loved my time, so it's great to see them again, for sure," he said.

"A lot of people in the community were really good to us during our time here, a lot of the sponsors and whatnot.

"Always good to be back here. I had four years of my life living here with my partner, and she came up as well for the trip, so she's been enjoying some time seeing some old friends and whatnot.

"Great to be back in the building. It's always a good crowd, good energy and a fun game. Really enjoyed it, for sure."

He and United have had an up-and-down start to NBL27 but moved to 5-5 on the back of Josh Oduro ($277,000)'s 26 points and six rebounds, star guard Cole Anthony ($300,000)'s 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals and the ever-composed Joe Ingles ($300,000)' 16 points (6-for-9) in 21:11 minutes off the bench.

NBL veteran Chris Goulding ($188,900) returned to the lineup, played 15 minutes off the bench, and chipped in six points and a rebound.

"I think we probably have the deepest team in the league," Waardenburg added.

"We can rely on everyone to step in and give amazing minutes.

"The amazing thing with this group is everyone's bought into it. There's really no chance to take plays off because there's going to be someone ready to step in and do those things that we need to get done.

"Super deep team, super talented. The more this goes forward, and the more we get comfortable with each other, it's just going to continue to grow and continue to get better.

"Super exciting squad. We've got a great group, great coach and full staff. I've loved embracing the challenge of a new system, a new defensive system as well.

"They push us hard every single day. It's been a really fun process, and it's great to see those results the last couple of games.

"I know going forward it's not going to get easier. It's going to get tougher. We're going to have to double down. Really enjoying the process, for sure."

The Taipans lost Jaylin Galloway ($196,400) after just 6:49 minutes. He'd seamlessly slotted back into the line-up after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He had four points on 2-for-3 from the field.

"He took a shot to the ribs in the Brisbane game, and then he got hit in the same spot today," Cairns Taipans head coach Adam Forde said.

"We've got to get it checked to make sure there's nothing sinister underlying. Nothing to do with the shoulder, just a rib shot.

"He felt good and then he just got hit in that same spot again. We didn't want to risk it."

The Taipans led 54-51 at the main break, but couldn't stop United in the third as Jacob Chance's men won the quarter 34-19.

"I thought Cairns were arguably playing the best basketball in the competition leading into this game," Chance said.

"They're athletic, they're big, they get after you, and they shoot a lot of threes, which we did a decent-ish job of tonight.

"For our guys to weather that storm in the first quarter, we were doing a lot of good things. We just needed to tidy up a couple of areas, and that levelled itself out over the course of the last three quarters.

"We had big contributions across the board. The guy sitting next to me, the defence he played, Luke Travers - I thought they both did a great job on a guy like (Jack) McVeigh, who's super dangerous. He was a big part of the game plan.

"Just happy to get out of here with another good win and keep moving forward.

"We thought we were getting good shots in the first quarter. We were just handing them possessions, hence why we were down seven instead of probably a tie game.

"We flipped a bit of the momentum in the second, but it was a credit to our group. We came in at half-time, hit reset, came out and doubled down.

"We had been in that position with Cairns before, up 12 going into the fourth quarter. To see us push that lead out and maintain it was really impressive."

Cole, 26, is starting to settle into running the show in his first season in the NBL27.

"He's a world-class player, as a lot of our guys are," Chance said.

"The most pleasing thing for me is Cole's here to win. He's got a job to do, and his role in our team is to help us in the scoring department at times. But I think the most pleasing thing is just how he's getting us organised.

"He did a great job tonight getting the ball to J when he needed to, running plays for Sam when he needed to, getting the ball to Joe when he needed to.

"The thing that's probably gone a little underrated with him - I know the foul trouble's been a big talking point - he can really guard, and he's taken that challenge on.

"He guards Kendric last week, does a good job. Guards Jaylon Brown tonight, who's a good player. It allows us to do some different things with our line-ups.

"That's what he's here to do in those big moments. We trust him to put the ball in his hands and make the right decision, and he's been doing that all year for us."

Forde conceded the Taipans were struggling to control what they can't.

"I burned three timeouts really early in the second half, and I had no more to give," Forde said.

"Again, we're playing for a particular identity here. You've got to back yourself.

"With six minutes to go, it's a nine-point game, before it was kind of like the last straw for us. We've got to mature as a group, myself included, to not feel so ... be treated unfairly.

"We couldn't keep them off the foul line in the first quarter. We couldn't make plays in the second quarter. We came out flat to start the third, and they got points off our turnovers.

"I think we gave up five turnovers, and they got 11 points off turnovers.

"Then the fourth quarter was the offensive rebounds. We gave up five, and we couldn't keep them off the foul line again.

"I told the guys, if we want to start getting the calls like the top end do, we have to play a particular way.

"We let things get emotional for us, myself included. We addressed it at half-time. I don't know if that's the reason why we came out flat, was to try and go a different approach.

"But look, Keanu (Pinder) picks up his fourth foul off a phantom and-one, yet we get two guys end up in the pillar on nothing.

"I loved the fight by the guys. With six minutes to go, it was a nine-point game. Jaylon Brown strips the ball and gets called for a foul, and then I think that just finally took the wind out of our sails.

"I said to the guys, again, if we want to start getting those calls, those types of reputational calls, we have to play a particular way first.

"We're trying to unburden ourselves of two years of losing to command the type of respect that we do."

Watch

NBL27

Cairns Taipans vs Melbourne United | Round 7 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the Cairns Taipans take on Melbourne United in Round 7 of NBL27 on October 31, 2026.

What you need to know

• Melbourne United beat the Cairns Taipans 113-97 at Cairns Convention Centre in Round 7 of NBL27, moving to 5-5 and handing Cairns their first home loss of the season. Cairns are 6-5.
• Cairns won the first quarter 33-26 and led 54-51 at half-time. Melbourne won the last three quarters, 25-21, 34-19 and 28-24, and never trailed after the 9:03 mark of the third.
• Josh Oduro ($277,000) top-scored with 26 points on 8-from-9, including 10-from-16 at the line, and Jack McVeigh ($349,800) led Cairns with 19 on 6-from-13, including 2-from-7 from three, with seven assists.
• The third quarter turned it. Melbourne opened the half on a 7-0 run, Luke Travers ($292,900)'s three putting them ahead for good, and Cole Anthony ($300,000) scored 10 in the quarter as the lead reached 12 by the final break and 19 at 94-75 with 7:59 left.
• Cairns made more threes, 12 to 10, but Melbourne won the points inside the arc 62-50 and at the line 21-11 in a game decided by 16, and Cairns turned it over 18 times to Melbourne's 12.

Milestones & Moments

• Melbourne's 113 points and 41 field goals are their NBL27 highs.
• Melbourne's 34 in the third is their second-highest quarter of NBL27, behind the 35 they scored in the third against Cairns on October 3.
• Cairns' 18 turnovers are their most of NBL27, one more than the 17 against South East Melbourne on October 17, and the 113 they conceded is second only to the 115 in that game. Their 29 assists equal their NBL27 high, set against Illawarra on October 11.
• Sam Waardenburg ($277,500) played his 99th NBL game. Melbourne next play the NZ Breakers on Monday, November 2.
• Keanu Pinder ($300,000) moved to 989 career NBL rebounds and Jack McVeigh moved to 2,902 career NBL points.
• Josh Oduro took 16 free throws, the second-most by any player in an NBL27 game, behind the 17 by Cole Anthony against Cairns on October 3.
• Cole Anthony's four steals and seven rebounds are his NBL27 highs.
• Joe Ingles ($300,000) made four threes from five attempts, his NBL27 high, and his +25 was the best on the floor.
• Reyne Smith ($156,300) went 0-from-8 from three, the most threes taken without a make by any player in an NBL27 game.
• ‍Lloyd McVeigh ($58,500) made his first three of NBL27 with six seconds left.
• Shaun Bruce ($76,500)'s six assists in 12:30 are his NBL27 high, and Jaylon Brown ($277,000)'s six turnovers are his most of NBL27.

Melbourne United

• Josh Oduro ($277,000) top-scored with 26 points and six rebounds on 8-from-9, going 10-from-16 at the line.
• Cole Anthony ($300,000) added 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals on 11-from-20, with 10 of those points in the third quarter.
• Joe Ingles ($300,000) scored 16 off the bench on 6-from-9, including 4-from-5 from three, with three assists and no turnovers in 21 minutes.
• Luke Travers ($292,900) had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 5-from-11, with five turnovers, and hit the three and layup that followed Anthony's opening dunk in the third.
• Sam Waardenburg ($277,500) had 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block on 4-from-9, including 1-from-5 from three, with no turnovers.
• Chris Goulding ($188,900) had six points on 2-from-5 from three in 14:53, his first game since September 24.
• Shea Ili ($175,300) had four points, four assists and two offensive rebounds off the bench in 18:40.
• Melbourne shot 41-from-74 from the field, 10-from-27 from three and 21-from-27 at the line, with 36 rebounds, 22 assists and 12 turnovers.

Cairns Taipans

• Jack McVeigh ($349,800) top-scored with 19 points, seven assists and two steals on 6-from-13, including 2-from-7 from three and 5-from-5 at the line.
• Keanu Pinder ($300,000) had 16 points and five rebounds on 7-from-10, including 2-from-5 from three, and fouled out with 7:31 left, having played 18:46.
• Kyrin Galloway ($176,000) scored 11 off the bench on 3-from-6, including 2-from-4 from three and 3-from-3 at the line.
• Malique Lewis ($207,900) had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists on 4-from-7, including 2-from-4 from three.
• Jaylon Brown ($277,000) had eight points and seven assists on 4-from-9, going 0-from-4 from three, with six turnovers.
• Jonah Bolden ($133,600) had seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals off the bench in 23:49.
• Jaylin Galloway ($196,400) had four points on 2-from-3 in 6:49, all of it in the first quarter.
• Cairns shot 37-from-74 from the field, 12-from-41 from three and 11-from-11 at the line, with 32 rebounds, 29 assists and 18 turnovers.