Tin-roof, flustered: Good, bad of moving games

• Three players injured in a hot, humid country stadium sparks debate
• Australian Boomers playing the same stadium in February
• Technical issues a 'paper cut' in New Plymouth

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Caught between a rock and a hard place, etcetera, etcetera.

Basketball fans in Australia and New Zealand are priorities Nos. 1, 2, and 3 for the NBL and its clubs, but the line is thin and slippery when it comes to protecting the quality of the product — the players.

Getting fans to games — or taking the game to the fans is a question all Australian codes face, from AFL and NRL to the NBL.

AFL clubs sell their home games, such as North Melbourne taking home games to Western Australia into the 2027 season in the hopes of "financial stability".

NBL clubs are responsible for their game days, so the South East Melbourne Phoenix took their round 16 NBL25 clash against the Brisbane Bullets to the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in Catterick Crescent, Traralgon, on Saturday, January 11, 2025.

It also meant the New Zealand Breakers took their round 16 clash against Melbourne United to TSB Stadium in Rogan Street, Welbourn, New Plymouth, on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Three thousand and eighty-two watched Derrick Walton Jr hobble to the change room with a season-ending hamstring injury in Gippsland.

It was hovering around 32 degrees and 54% humidity on Saturday, ovening up a notoriously warm tin-roofed gymnasium with little ventilation nor ceiling fans.

Two thousand one hundred 10 watched United's Chris Goulding hit the game-winning three in New Plymouth. Those lucky 2,110 could see the shot clock and game clock; those watching on TV as Goulding let fly could not.

It wasn't the weather this time; the TV clock had stopped working, and viewers relied on commentary for the time remaining in and, website design terms, it could only be described as a "poor user experience".

Next month, the Australian Boomers are playing two Asia Cup qualifiers at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium.

On February 20, they will face Indonesia. It will be 31 degrees and sunny. Three days later, they will tackle Thailand. It will be 30 degrees and overcast. The similarities to January 11, 2025, are striking.

Code Sports Basketball's Michael Randall and Matt Logue report: "It's understood BA officials were in attendance, with particular attention on the weather conditions and their impact on the safety of the court, given the Boomers are scheduled to play two internationals at the venue next month. The combined 35C day, barometric drop to around 20C with thunderstorms, and 3,000 people piling in at 7pm exacerbated the conditions. The steamy conditions inside the stadium caused windows in the upstairs VIP viewing area to fog up."

After his Bullets lost 105-86 to the Phoenix, Brisbane head coach Justin Schueller said: "We were frustrated with the safety of the venue before the game; we raised those issues, and we've taken another four injuries through this contest.

"That's a frustration right now. We need to get some answers. When you're told to 'just deal with it' when those things are raised.

"When we had our bodies, we showed we were as good, if not better (than the Phoenix)."

Bullets Josh Bannan (knee) and Deng Adel (groin) left the game early. Bannan slipped.

South East Melbourne coach Josh King added: "The floor ... I can honestly say I don't think the floor was 100 per cent good tonight.

"We both had to play on ... a less-than-perfect floor, but there's less-than-perfect conditions sometimes in basketball and sport."

The Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium was hot and humid before tip-off. NBL colour commentator Damon Lowry wore shorts, joking he was better prepared for the conditions in the pre-game show, but it turned out to be less than funny.

To be clear, both coaches weren't explicitly talking about the quality of the court, they were talking about the impact of having 10 professional athletes going at it in hot, humid, stifling conditions — essentially pouring sweat onto the hardwood that includes sponsorship decals, which are crucial to the financial viability of the league.

Add the body heat of 3,000 fans packed to the rafters, the sun shining on the tin roof all day with humidity building for the 8pm tip-off.

The NBL released this statement on Tuesday, January 14: "The court and equipment for Saturday's South East Melbourne vs Brisbane game met the NBL's minimum standards, and the game was conducted in line with the NBL's Rules and Regulations. We acknowledge the issues raised by Brisbane and are in communication with the club regarding those."

Note: "Minimum".

The "home-trip" cost Phoenix Walton Jr.'s 23.6 minutes per game, 11.8 points per game, 2.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals, as well as Grand Final MVP and NBL champion.

Brisbane big man Bannan's night ended when he slipped, tried to regain his footing, and got up and grabbed his knee.

The slippery conditions have also clouded teammate Deng Adel's groin injury.

Code Sports Basketball's Michael Randall reports: "Initial fears Josh Bannan could be done for the season have been allayed, with the star forward set to play through the pain of bone bruising after scans showed only minor damage to his ACL that specialists say can be managed."

Would Walton Jr, Bannan and Adel have suffered injuries at John Cain Arena? Maybe, maybe not, but they are basketball injuries, so it's folly to speculate. Did it happen in a country stadium on a hot, humid day with a court drenched in sweat? Yes.

Would the clock have worked for 40 minutes if the Breakers had played in Auckland? History has proven that it would have.

Is it a better advertisement for the game to have the John Cain Arena roof open, packed with more than 10,000 rabid fans staring skyward at fireworks or travel the 165km to Traralgon to recognise the loyalty of Victorian basketball fans?

NBL25 is a ripping season. The ladder is as congested as an LA freeway, so every detail must be nailed. Major injury setbacks hurt the product, and minor clock issues during a telecast are paper cuts. But they both hurt the product.

Hence, it's a paradox — damned if you do, damned if you don't — but one thing is for sure either the venue needs to be suitable for the summer NBL season, or the long-range weather forecast needs to choose the date or the chosen stadium needs to be bullet-proof when it comes to broadcast.

There is no margin of error in such a competitive Australian sporting landscape. The NBL and its clubs have no choice but to get it right. Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on a hot, humid country Victorian day falls on the wrong side of the ledger.

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.