The rivalry that defined an entire NBL era

The greatest NBL rivalries are the ones born of on-court ferocity. They’re the rivalries forged by the heartbreak and elation that can only be created when there are titles on the line. Through the 2010s there was one battle that stood above all others, and it was a battle that reached almost unparalleled levels within the Australian sporting landscape.

Perth vs New Zealand.

Tom Abercrombie’s impending retirement means that one more piece of those crucial Championship Series matchups will have left the league. Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff will be the final active player from the three title-battles contested by the two sides, and even his immediate future in the competition currently remains unknown.

The 2010s was a decade in NBL history that can be defined by the sheer dominance of Perth and New Zealand. Between them the Wildcats and Breakers won nine of a possible 10 titles. Melbourne's 2018 triumph is the only outlier in a period dominated by two of the greatest teams to ever compete in our competition.

New Zealand triumphed in the first two Championship Series meetings between the two clubs. Those 2012 and 2013 titles secured the most recent threepeat in NBL history, however the Wildcats got their revenge in the third and final meeting between the two sides in 2016.

New Zealand was champion of the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 NBL seasons. Perth won the 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019 championships (L-R: CJ Bruton, Cedric Jackson, Tom Jervis, Matt Knight).

“It was either us or Perth winning the Championship every other year, so it was inevitable a rivalry built up,” Abercrombie reflected to NBL Media.

“Both teams were really unique at the time, there was a lot of roster continuity and that meant it was the same guys going to battle year after year. When teams play each other three or four times things can get a little bit testy and heated, and if you expand that over a period of five or six years where it’s the same guys going up against each other, there were plenty of fireworks and great battles against those guys, and they’re some great memories to look back on.

“As a club we’re completely different now, we’ve evolved as the league has. Now the league has so much more coverage on the global stage now and the quality of players coming in is as good as ever.

“Basketball has gone from strength-to-strength and the popularity keeps growing so it’s been really cool to be a part of that ride.”

Abercrombie’s retirement has seen the NBL stalwart showered in universal praise from all corners of the league.

The Breakers veteran is an absolute legend of New Zealand basketball, and his name sits comfortably among the likes of Kirk Penney, Paul Henare, and Pero Cameron for his contributions to both the Breakers and the Tall Blacks.

It’s rare that a whole country can all but universally throw its support behind one solitary club, but that special relationship between the nation and their Breakers team has seen Abercrombie become a revered figure in a nation that sees teams across all codes battle tooth and nail for its position within the Australian domestic sporting landscape.

“It's really special,” Abercrombie said of the outpouring of appreciation.

“I’ve always tried to carry myself the right way and do things the right way, and be humble and appreciative of the opportunities I’ve been given.

“I’ve said it before, I just feel so lucky I’ve been able to play professional basketball for my hometown team for 16 years, it’s a real privilege and to be able to go out on my own terms when I wanted to, it’s a pretty special and unique thing, for sure.”

That humility Abercrombie says he’s tried to live his basketball career by has made him one of the most likeable professionals through a generation of NBL stars, and it’s drawn respect and praise from some of his fiercest rivals over the journey.

For the local hero and spiritual leader Abercrombie was for the Breakers, Damian Martin was the parallel for that Wildcats side.

Abercrombie and Martin were two of the leading local lights in a pair of teams filled with superstars. The former was the captain for the final of New Zealand’s four triumphs, the latter was captain and Grand Final MVP of Perth’s 2016 revenge title over the Breakers.

“It was incredible because proximity-wise you couldn’t have two teams further apart, but when it came to who our biggest rivals were, for a whole decade it felt like if we were going to win a Championship we were going to have to go through the New Zealand Breakers,” Martin reflected.

“It was also a rivalry based on an incredible amount of respect, and that had to do with the players they had on the floor, and Tom was a big part of that. Tom, in my opinion, is a top five player ever to come out of New Zealand and it’s not just his longevity, it’s what he brought to the table in the game.

“You don’t fluke winning a Grand Final MVP, you don’t fluke being a major part of a three-peat, and Tom did it in such a humble and a respectful way. He’s played the game the right way, for all those battles against him I never remember a cheap shot or him taking a shortcut or him abusing a referee. Instead I remember spin moves, jumping over his opponent, knocking down threes, getting steals and open dunks. I remember playing against an incredibly gifted athlete who played to his strengths and made sacrifices for the betterment of the team.

“In saying all that he’s been a superstar and played on some of the best teams of all-time that, without Tom, I don’t think would have had the same level of success as they did.”

The likelihood of Abercrombie’s jersey hanging from the Spark Arena rafters seems as inevitable as it did for Martin’s jersey at RAC Arena.

Incidentally, Martin's jersey retirement came after a game between the Wildcats and Breakers earlier this season. 

Damian Martin's banner hanging in the RAC Arena rafters.

It felt like a case of when, rather than if, Martin’s jersey would be retired, and it’s the same for Abercrombie – so much so that Breakers CEO Lisa Edser has already confirmed it will happen.

RELATED: Abercrombie set for greatest honour

It’s a certainty, then, that Abercrombie’s jersey will join those of Dillon Boucher, Paul Henare and CJ Bruton as etched in Breakers folklore. Martin – who had his jersey officially retired earlier this season – has urged his longtime rival to enjoy the occasion when it comes around.

“It's no surprise whatsoever, it was inevitable. He’s brought so much enjoyment and success to the club,” Martin said.

“It was Mika Vukona – someone I’ve idolised and respected, and someone who played with Tom – who said you should play basketball for the two r’s, rings and relationships. Tommy has won a lot of rings and he’s made a lot of friendships over his journey, and when his journey is retired from the rafters he’s going to be reminded of all those relationships, and all those rings.

“I hope he enjoys it as much as I did, and for me the simplest of decisions the Breakers could have made is retiring his jersey. He’s a wonderful ambassador on and off the floor for the club and the game because he’s such a good bloke.”

Before the talk of farewell tours and jersey retirements, there’s one final matter at hand for the Breakers, and that’s to win their first title since 2015, and Abercrombie’s fifth with the club.

They came oh so close last season against the Sydney Kings, so close, in fact, that rumours swirled around whether or not Abercrombie himself would have retired had he lifted the Championship trophy for one final time at the close of NBL23.

If New Zealand is to win this season’s title, it’s going to have to do it the hard way. A do-or-die Play-In Game against the club’s more modern rivals Sydney looms on Wednesday. Should they win that then another win or go home scenario will await the Breakers against either Tasmania or Illawarra.

JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth has been bullish in his assertions that any of the six teams in the Finals picture have the capability of winning the whole thing, and Abercrombie says he’s urging his teammates to enjoy any Finals run New Zealand might go on.

“It would be the ultimate, but so much work to go before then, I hope we can give ourselves the opportunity to play firstly in the Playoffs, and then in the Championship Series,” he said.

“It’s something that doesn’t happen that often. I was lucky to have that success early in my career and now a big drought, so it’s not something I take for granted and I want to make sure it’s an opportunity the guys appreciate and grabbing it with both hands will be really important.

New Zealand’s Play-In Qualifier clash with Sydney will tip off at 7:30pm AEDT on Wednesday night, live on ESPN via Kayo.