Image credit: Madeleine Clark | @madeleineclarkmedia
Emma Clarke successfully returned for East Perth Eagles in NBL1 West after horror run with a stress fracture, concussion and knee injury and is excited with her new team, NBL1 in general and looking ahead to being back at WNBL with Sydney Flames.
Whether it's representing Australia in 3x3, playing in the WNBL previously at the Perth Lynx or now at the Sydney Flames, and in her time in the then SBL and now NBL1 West at Perry Lakes Hawks, Lakeside Lightning and Joondalup Wolves, Clarke has been one of the best athletes, and players, in the country.
However, it's been a run of bad luck that has been frustrating over the past 18 months that started with a stress fracture in her leg that delayed her start to the 2024 NBL1 West season before an unlucky concussion after a clash with a camera finished her campaign just as it was warming up.
She was able to get back during the WNBL season at the Flames, but then again just as that was getting going she suffered a knee injury that has kept her sidelined since January 2.
It has been a long road back for Clarke since after signing with the Eagles of NBL1 West for 2025, but with the help of East Perth and then working at the WA Institute of Sport to get back, it was an emotional occasion for her comeback game on Saturday night.
Making return after six months
Clarke made her debut with the Eagles and her return to the basketball court on Saturday night for the first time in six months for East Perth's match up with the Warwick Senators at Warwick Stadium.
While the Senators claimed the win, there were exciting signs from Clarke in her 22 minutes with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
She was just grateful to be back on the basketball court and to share it with Chloe Forster even if it was as opponents.
"My best friend is Chloe Foster and she has been with me through all my injuries the last few years, especially this one, and she's been there every step of the way to support me so it was actually nice to share the court with her even if we were on opposing teams," Clarke told The Hoop Hour on 91.3 SportFM.
"There's been so many things I can think of where I've grown as a person and a player from having the time off over the last couple of years, and even hitting the court for my first training session had me quite emotional.
"It's been such a long journey back and it's definitely full circle to actually be out there again, and to be running up and down, and wearing the jersey. So that's really cool and it's definitely been a long time, but I was grateful just to be back out there and healthy."
Horror run of injury over past 18 months
Coming off her second WNBL season with the Flames in 2023/24, Clarke missed the first 14 games of the NBL1 West season at the Wolves before returning against Perry Lakes on June 21.
Then just after starting to find her groove with 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists against Willetton, the week later back on her old floor at Lakeside Recreation Centre, she collided with a camera on the baseline.
That led to a concussion that she was battling to overcome the symptoms from for the next several months before she was able to get back to play eight games of the WNBL season at Sydney.
She then suffered a knee injury on January 2 against the Bendigo Spirit, and it's been a long road back since.
"Last year with the Wolves I had a stress fracture in my tibia and I rehabbed that, but then when I came back I went over to play 3x3 at the Ford Ballin' Tournament, and then came back to play a few games with the Wolves but then ran into that Kayo camera on the baseline," Clarke said.
"That took me out and I was dealing with the effects of that concussion for quite a while after that. Then I had the knee injury from Sydney which was quite fortunate, but injuries are just part of sport and it's about how you come back from it.
"I'm sure that other players in the league will also say that injuries do suck, but they help you become more resilient and to learn so much more about yourself."
Strength of NBL1 West in 2025
Clarke first played in the SBL at her junior club Perry Lakes back in 2015 and that's where she had played all her basketball locally until the end of 2023 aside from the 2021 season at Lakeside, before joining the Wolfpack for 2024.
She is now in her first season with East Perth and having been part of the league for a decade, is well placed to judge that she has never seen it stronger.
That goes without saying with talent coming in for 2025 like Abby Cubillo, Sasha Goodlett, Ally Wilson, Megan McKay, Alex Fowler and Zitina Aokuso, and the returning Robbi Ryan, Marena Whittle, Alex Sharp, Anneli Maley, Teige Morrell, Karly Murphy, Daniel Raber and Steph Gorman.
However, what Clarke is also delighted to see is that the overall coverage of the league, and interest in it, is at an all-time high and that support makes it exciting to be part of.
"I would definitely say that each year I think the coverage is getting so much better, and people are hearing more about the West, and people are keen to come over here and live in Perth," Clarke said.
"And I wouldn’t blame anybody for that because Perth's the best, but it's just super awesome that we're adding so much talent to the league and making each game really competitive every weekend.
"A few years ago it was almost like you had the top six or seven teams that would be tough games, but it's quite consistent now that one through 13 teams are tough to prepare for and to play against.
"Everybody's got Australian talent and then awesome imports coming in as well so it's really awesome to see the growth of the league for sure."
Eagles team this season
As for the Eagles team that Clarke has joined in 2025, it didn’t take her long to know she wanted on board when she first discussed the possibility with coach Tim Symons.
She will now form quite the imposing wing combination with Awatea Leach and Madi Torresin, but what she is most looking forward to with this Eagles team is the chemistry they already have together with winning the bonus.
"I've been around the girls since before the first round when I made my first appearance and training and even seeing the growth from then to now is really exciting," Clarke said.
"The girls work really hard at practice and I think the most important thing is that we just have a great bunch of girls who want to get after it on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we want to win games.
"Tim's a great coach who has put together a great team, and it is really exciting to see and I see nothing but positives for us to finish out the end of the season. It's awesome to be a part of the Eagles this year."
Being part of a team wanting to be physical
The first mission for coach Symons when putting together this Eagles team for 2025 is that he wanted them to be two things – physical and fit to be able to run hard, and push the ball for 40 minutes.
That's where the signings of Leach, Cubillo and Goodlett became especially important, but then the addition of Clarke as one of the best athletes in the country tops things off nicely.
It's a style of play that the Eagles are playing that Clarke is fully embracing being part of.
"I love the girls and the physicality is something we talk about wanting to be known for as a team," Clarke said.
"We talk a lot of smack at practice about fouls and everything like that, but at the end of the day I feel like you just have to play through it.
"Especially when you do that at practice it just makes you a better player because referees are probably going to call a little bit more than what you get at practice. That just makes us resilient and it's a fun style of basketball to play.
"It's like we've got that physicality but also that grit and hustle, and I just think that's what the team and Tim wants us to be known for. I think it's coming in good shape."
Returning to Flames in WNBL
Having grown up in Perth, then going to college at the University of Colorado, Clarke started her WNBL career at her hometown Lynx but now is about to enter a fourth season at the Sydney Flames.
She is looking forward to working with the coaching staff led by Guy Molloy and Renae Garlepp once more, and already can't wait for the 2025/26 season given the recent signings of Agnes Emma-Nnopu, Lauren Nicholson, Tahlia Tupaea, Carla Pitman, Shaneice Swain, Bonnie Seas and Piper Anderson.
"Everything is on track for me to go back and I'm in talks with Guy and Renae on the coaching staff about that," Clarke said.
"They've sent me messages wishing me good luck for me getting back into training and playing, and I definitely am excited to head back there in September.
"But before that, we have to get the job done here and then I'll focus on that, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back over there for what will be my fourth season.
'I love Guy and Renae, and the team that we're building so far with recent free agency looking awesome. I'm sure there will be nothing but good things coming out of that and getting back to competing at that level is really exciting."
New era to be part of in WNBL
The WNBL is also under management heading into the 2025/26 season and Clarke already has been encouraged by the improvements made even early in the off-season and after free agency opened.
"Even the rebranding of the WNBL and as small of a detail it might seem, but the new logo and everything, and the way the league is announcing new signings and everything is providing people a chance to see that it's on the improve," Clarke said.
"I think it's just setting up the trajectory for women's sport in the right direction and I'm really exciting to see how that takes shape over the next few years, and I think nothing but good is going to come from it."