THE GERALDTON Buccaneers are the 2025 NBL1 West Men’s Champions, after Johny Narkle led them to a thrilling three-point win over the Warwick Senators in a cracking Grand Final at RAC Arena on Saturday night.

A rematch of the qualifying final between these two sides, the Buccaneers were looking for revenge after being convincingly bested in that match. The Senators got the job done by 31 points, and would have entered this match with plenty of confidence, although Geraldton recovered to still make the Grand Final in the coming weeks.

The Bucs got off to the perfect start in the first quarter, leading by eight points heading into the second frame and taking all of the momentum early in the piece. The Senators did steady as the match rolled on and it was just a one-point game with five seconds on the clock, but Warwick could not tie up the match and the Buccaneers held on to claim the championship.

Narkle was an immense presence for the champions, doing a bit of everything and contributing on both ends of the floor in what proved to be a title-winning performance from one of the most exciting talents in the NBL1.

Geraldton Buccaneers (81) def. Warwick Senators (78)

Johny Narkle – 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals, three blocks

The recent Illawarra Hawks signing was excellent for the Bucs as they claimed the ultimate prize out West, delivering an excellent two-way outing and carrying his team for large portions of the contest in a defining performance.

He started the game as emphatically as possible, stealing the ball from the opposition’s grasp and throwing down a big dunk in transition to get the Bucs off to the perfect start. After trying his hand at three-point shooting, Narkle found success driving into the lane and either finishing at the cup or dishing off to the likes of Liam Hunt, who finished the play. He finished out the quarter with some strong work on the defensive glass as the Bucs led at the first change.

Narkle’s first three-pointer came midway through the second period, splashing home the long-range shot to stretch the lead out to 12 points. He swatted Senators star Elijah Pepper‘s attempted jumper, knowing the star guard would get up a shot at all costs, before recording another two steals to close out a strong defensive performance on the eve of half time.

The third quarter saw Narkle struggle to hit the scoreboard coming out of half time, which allowed the Senators to cut the margin back to three points, he had a timely tip-in from his own miss, before backing it up a couple of minutes later with another driving layup to give his team some breathing space ahead of a massive final term.

He opened the fourth term in emphatic fashion, poking the ball free on an opposing possession, before finding Hunt who finished in transition. Narkle then blocked Pepper for the second and third time throughout the final frame, before nailing a huge play in the final minute of the game. He produced a stirring finish at the cup to put the Bucs up by three points, with a whistle indicating an and-one opportunity, which he converted to stretch the margin out to four. A couple of clutch free throws from Narkle down the stretch sealed the game and saw the Bucs hold on for a memorable win.

He finished the contest with 21 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks for the match in a terrific two-way showing, coming up with some big plays on both ends of the floor and being the defining figure in the match.