Image credit: Michael Farnell (Sports Imagery)

Fairytales are rare to find and Aaron Ralph might very well have got just that with him 99 per cent sure the last game of his three-time championship NBL1 West career at Geraldton Buccaneers has had the dream conclusion.

Given the amount of blood, sweat and tears that Ralph has shed over 481 games with the Buccaneers not to mention the league-record 1119 three-point bombs and the countless biting jibes to opposition players and referees, walking away is never easy to do.

That's why Ralph is still keeping open that one per cent chance of playing on in 2026 which could see him become just the fourth man in SBL/NBL1 West history to reach 500 games, which includes his best mate and three-time championship teammate Mat Wunderberg.

However, after Saturday night's Grand Final triumph for the Buccaneers with the gritty win at RAC Arena over the Warwick Senators which is the third championship for Ralph and the second where he's been captain, everything was set up for it to be a fairytale farewell.

Even though it was a year in 2025 where Ralph became the all-time three-point leader in a stunning shooting display at Lakeside and now ends with a third championship, it has been a challenge physically down the stretch which is the main reason he's now leaning towards retirement.

"I was pretty certain at the start of the year that this was going to be it," Ralph said.

"Then having those injuries in the last month or two made me feel like I just can't wait for the end. I'm not setting anything in concrete, but I'm 99 per cent sure that's the way I want to go out.

"I had to pinch myself during the week thinking about what it would be like if we did it and I could walk away with a championship. There's still a few things to think about, but I'm pretty certain this is it and it would be a hell of a way to go out."

Making the most of opportunity

When the Buccs broke through for the 2019 Grand Final with Wundenberg captain and Ralph one of the stars, it was the end of a 19-year drought during which there had been plenty of heartbreak and close calls along the way.

The next title for Ralph and the Buccaneers was in 2023 where they came from behind to beat the Joondalup Wolves 12 months after being overrun themselves by the Rockingham Flames.

Then in 2025, the Buccs had in the back of their minds what happened a year earlier where they finished the regular season four games clear in top spot but were then shocked in the preliminary final in Geraldton by the Willetton Tigers.

That made Ralph fully understand that the sort of opportunities like the Buccaneers had on Saturday night don't come around easily, and he couldn’t be prouder how they didn’t let the chance slip.

"It's something pretty special and it's something that we spoke about in the changerooms, this group of guys might only ever be together once so we wanted to make sure we did something special," Ralph said.

"It's going to be a memory that we remember forever and winning a championship in RAC Arena is something I'm still struggling to put words to.

"I'm just so happy with the boys and the way we showed such grit. We like to call it Buccaneers Basketball and that could be identified as exactly that, which is a pretty good feeling."

Winning with Buccaneers Basketball

The Buccs team of 2025 has shown that it can be quite the offensive juggernaut including going on an 11-game winning streak to close the regular season where they were averaging over 113 points in those wins.

However, what Ralph is proud that the Buccaneers have built their foundations on is their defence and they set themselves to limit their opponents to under 80 points a game.

That was always going to be a big task against a Senators team averaging over 109 points a game in 2025, but Geraldton kept Warwick to 78 points on 9/47 three-point shooting and 29 per cent shooting overall.

The reward for that defensive performance was the championship and Ralph was proud the way they did by sticking to what they pride themselves on.

"We made a living by winning that sort of way and that's how we pride ourselves on by being that grit and grind sort of team," Ralph said.

"We can have moments where we can be flashy and score, which we've shown quite a bit this year, but when we want to get down to it and play D, that's what we pride ourselves on.

"I don’t want to talk ourselves up too much, but I feel like we've been the best defensive team all year. We knew if we could put our foot down and do that in the Grand Final, we'd be a good chance to get the result we wanted."

Another heroic Liam Hunt effort

Growing up in Geraldton and Ralph saw the heroics of Dan Hunt during his 382-game career so he is anything but surprised by what his son, Liam, continues to do.

He is a man made for heroic efforts too and the 2019 Grand Final MVP and now three-time championship teammate of Ralph's had another on Saturday night when he looked to suffer a nasty knee injury early in the third quarter.

He was back only five minutes later and even though he did end up fouling out early in the fourth period, the emotional lift that it gave the rest of the Buccs team, and the crowd, was enormous.

"When he went down, I just thought here we go again. But I was actually a bit concerned when I saw the replay on the screen and then saw how much pain he was in," Ralph said.

"I'm still not even sure what exactly he's done now, but I was sitting next to Mat and I told him that I guarantee he'll run back out in a few minutes just so the crowd can roar. And what do you know, five minutes later he comes flying back out.

"He's cut from a different cloth, he really is. He's just a workhorse, he's a dog and he's pretty much cut from the same cloth as his old man. He's a guy you want on your team no matter what and if you're going to war, you want to do it with Liam Hunt beside you.

"He gives you everything he possibly can and he ended up getting fouled out, and he was pretty upset with himself, but it was pretty pleasing we could still get that result with our starting centre not ending up playing much of that second half."

Johny Narkle sparkles once more

The other memorable thing for everyone at the Buccaneers about 2025 is that Johny Narkle has been rewarded for his years of hard work and brilliant performances with an NBL development player contract with the Illawarra Hawks.

He now leaves for the NBL as a two-time championship winner and two-time Grand Final MVP after his brilliant performance on Saturday night with 21 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocked shots and three assists.

Ralph couldn’t be happier for him and prouder of him for earning the much-deserved opportunity.

"It's amazing that he is finally getting recognised and I said that for a couple of years now that he deserved that chance," Ralph said.

"I just love the kid and I have so much time for him. I would do anything for him and he's a special kid who tries his hardest, and is always working.

"He gets to go onto bigger and better things now, but in saying that home is where the heart is and I'm sure this isn’t the last we see of him playing for the Buccs either."

Still playing a crucial role

Ralph might have been banged up in the back end of the season and there were times he didn’t even get on the court, but come the Grand Final the adrenaline took over.

Knowing it was potentially his last game and his first and only chance to ever play at RAC Arena, he stepped up like only he can to play a crucial 13 minutes with seven points and two rebounds.

Highlighting his impact, the Buccs outscored the Senators by eight points in the 13 minutes he played, and it was only fitting that he knocked down two more three-pointers to extend his hold on the all-time record with 1119 of them across his 481-game career.

"I've been nursing a few injuries and the body's pretty banged up," Ralph said.

"Me and Dayle were speaking about just trying to get me through to the end and I told him I didn’t really care if I did more damage, I just wanted to get it done.

"At the end I made some shots and that's what I've been doing my whole career so I'm pretty confident if I get the ball in the right spots even at this point of my career, I'll still be able to knock them down."

Sharing it with young family

The biggest motivation above all for Ralph to keeping on playing and to keep creating lifelong memories like Saturday night is because his young family is growing up all the time and able to appreciate it even more.

It was a special occasion for Ralph to share that 2023 championship at Bendat Basketball Centre with wife Erin and their children Max and Molly, but Saturday night's triumph at RAC Arena was on a whole extra level.

"Like I say every year, they are starting to understand the game more and more every year I keep playing, and know what's going on, and they were pretty excited to come to RAC Arena," Ralph said.

"Now they are excited to come back to watch Johny here in a couple of months, but for them to get to watch me play and then for them to come down on the floor afterwards to celebrate, and enjoy it firsthand, that's pretty special.

"Bendat always felt special too, but this is on another level and I hope it's something they remember forever because I know I will. It's a pretty special moment."

Chris Pike

Ralph 99 per cent sure of fairytale finish