Image credit: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey
It's no surprise the highlights of Rachel Halleen's NBL1 West career that reaches 400 games on Friday night are the most memorable Mandurah Magic moments as she reflects on a career drawing to a close.
Halleen has given an enormous amount of blood, sweat and tears for the Mandurah Magic ever since she made her debut as a 15-year-old back in 2006 and she's packed an enormous amount into the last 19 years.
Along the way, she has turned herself into a terrific leader and has been captain, she's been a standout and versatile defender, she's proven herself a more than handy shooter and someone who can contribute to the team in so many ways.
More than that, she has learned from the very best in games record holding teammate Casey Mihovilovich with how important it is to be a terrific role model and that above everything else, nothing is more important than setting the right culture for your team and club.
That's why she is so proud to have spent her entire career in the SBL and now NBL1 West with Mandurah as she now prepares to play her 400th game this Friday night against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
It's also going to be Halleen's last season in 2025 with the Magic as she and partner Todd prepare to pack up their lives and move to Karratha in 2026.
It's only fitting, though, that when Halleen takes a second to reflect on her time that it was the Magic men breaking through for the club's first ever championship that springs to mind immediately.
"I would have to say last year when the men won the championship and I know it wasn't our women's team playing, but we were MVP's of the grandstand that's for sure," Halleen told The Hoop Hour on 91.3 SportFM.
"Our whole team also went up on that trip to Geraldton to start the finals and that was such a fun time, and it was pretty much our end of season wind up.
"That whole series of the men playing in the finals last year was so exciting and for our club to have all the past players involved, there was just so much excitement around them.
"To then go all the way for the first time at RAC Arena and even at the awards with Joel Murray winning the MVP, it was just such a special time for the club so that's definitely a highlight."
The second highlight that immediately comes to mind for Halleen is when her legendary teammate surpassed the games played record of 512 from Sue Williams back in the early part of the 2022 season.
"The other one would be the game when Casey Milo broke the all-time games record," she said.
"That was so special to be a part of and now she breaks that record every game she plays so every week we should be celebrating again.
"That was a really cool moment with lots of her nearest and dearest in the grandstand, and lots of past players there to support her as well. That's another highlight I will never forget."
Becoming eighth player to 400 games
The Magic will close the regular season this Friday night hosting the Eastern Suns and while it won't be the last game of Halleen's career because they are qualified for finals, it will be her 400-game milestone.
She'll become just the eighth woman to achieve the feat behind Mihovilovich (592), Sue Williams (512), Nicole Jorre de St Jorre (479), Shelly Boston (421), Tracey Richter (409), Elizabeth Cookie (405) and Tanya Kelly (402).
Halleen can call all those seven as either teammates or opponents, or both in some cases, and is proud to now be joining them and also to be about to retire at the same time as one of the league's all-time fiercest warriors, Bree Mullenax (nee Klasztorny).
"It will be special to have my best mate, Bree, there on Friday but also to be retiring alongside here whenever this season ends for us after we started our career together, and have been through so much," Halleen said.
"I've played against all of them or with three of them being Milo, Tracey Richter and Shelly Boston. I didn’t realise I'm only the eighth player and it's been a journey, and I've loved every minute of it.
"It has been great and I look back with only pride and happiness with what I've achieved and am very excited for my future with what's to come. It's exciting to think back on my career and to be up there with some amazing names of players that I've played against and a few with."
Playing entire career with Casey Milo
Halleen does also share a piece of history with Mihovilovich with the pair playing the most games as teammates together in SBL and NBL1 West history.
Mihovilovich is the games record holder and approaching 600 should in early 2026 should she play on while having the league's MVP award named after her.
She is having another strong season as starting point guard with Mandurah too. Factoring in she's also a wife, mother and the CEO of the City of Mandurah, and it's easy to see why even now Halleen still can't help but admire her enormously.
"She is just incredible and is such a great role model for all of us, and even for us veterans and everyone below us and all the juniors," Halleen said.
"She's such a workhorse and puts in so much work even still to this day on her game and our coach even touched on it the other day, and asked how is Milo still beating everyone at training.
"He talked about how we scout teams every week but we still can't figure out how to defend our own teammate. She's just smarter than us all and is better than us all, that's just how it is. She's Milo."
Making big life change
Considering Halleen played through requiring a knee reconstruction and has battled through a whole array of injuries throughout her career, and given her passion to play hasn’t diminished ahead of game 400, it was going to take something drastic to see her leave the Magic.
That's exactly what is about to happen with a job opportunity taking partner Todd to Karratha. She is joining him in the move which naturally means the soon-to-be 35-year-old won't continue her NBL1 West career as of 2026.
"Hopefully we can still go all the way this year and achieve that dream that hasn’t come true over a long time for a few of us, but I am relocating to Karratha early next year to support my partner in his work," Halleen said.
"It's exciting but daunting times and it has been a bit weird more so towards the back end of the year that it's sort of hit me where every time we play a road game it might be the last game I ever play in this stadium.
"Each away game has made me really start to think about that and it's been a bit of a weird feel, but it's also special to look back on memories and think back to moments in games I've played in those stadiums so it brings a smile. I'm very excited for what's to come though."
Amazing Mandurah culture
There is nothing that Halleen is prouder about than the culture at the Magic and especially that's always been there in the women's program.
She walked into a culture already well established and that has been led the whole way through by Mihovilovich, but helped with the likes of Emma and Bree Klasztorny, Kelly Bailey, Rachel Pettit, and other long-time teammates along with coaches Randy Miegel, Craig Watts and Vlad Alava.
"A lot of that comes from the girls that played before us so there was a really strong culture when I joined the club," Halleen said.
"That continued through my junior years and my senior years, and if we can continue to drive that culture through to the next group of players coming through, and for them to drive it through the next group of players, then we'll be able to keep the interest there and investment from the local girls to stick with the club the good and the tough times.
"That's how you create a safe and nurturing space for the younger ones coming through and that will hold the club in a really good position for the future to then bring in paid players to continue to have a good combination of local and imported talent to contend to go all the way."