Image credit: Michael Farnell (Sports Imagery)

Cockburn Cougars (91) defeated Warwick Senators (71)

Warwick Senators did what they could to bring the Grand Final unbeaten curse to reality again, but the big guns of Cockburn Cougars were too much in the end completing the perfect NBL1 West season, winning 91-71 at RAC Arena.

It was a meeting of the season's top two teams in the Grand Final at RAC Arena with the Cougars looking to remain undefeated while the job for the Senators was to put that pressure back onto them.

And Warwick did exactly that with a 7-2 run to start the game and to be leading by nine points during the second quarter, but a 16-0 run from the Cougars saw them work their way on top to lead by seven points at half-time.

From there, Cockburn were able to build on that lead through the second half to end up winning by 20 in what is their third consecutive Grand Final appearance, and now they have a second championship to go with the maiden triumph in 2023.

WOMEN'S GRAND FINAL PREVIEW

NO PRESSURE FOR ROBBINS, SENATORS

NO NEED FOR ADDED COUGARS MOTIVATION

BURTON PROUD OF SENATORS GRIT TO BATTLE THROUGH

PORTER ALREADY ENTRENCHED IN COCKBURN COMMUNITY

By winning the Grand Final and going through the entire NBL1 West season undefeated, Cockburn become the first team to do so since the Willetton Tigers in 1999.

The Perry Lakes Hawks of 2000 were also undefeated until the Grand Final and even in the NBL1 South Grand Final last Saturday night, Geelong United tasted a first defeat of 2025 against the Knox Raiders.

There would be no stopping the Cougars, though, and their lone new face for the season was Ruby Porter. She had such a significant impact that she was named Grand Final MVP thanks to 17 points, two rebounds and two blocks on 5/7 three-point shooting.

Daniel Raber is in her second season with the Cougars on the back of playing WNBL at Geelong last season too. She had an especially huge first half on the way to 16 points, 15 rebound, four assists and two steals.

Sarah Mortensen returned in 2025 to Cockburn after being instrumental in the 2023 triumph. She had another standout Grand Final performance with 18 points, 11 boards, four steals and three assists.

Captain Jewel Williams is now a dual championship winner and finished with 14 points and four assists with Steph Gorman adding 12 points and four rebounds, Amelia Corasaniti five points, five boards and two assists, and Jessie Edwards four points and three rebounds.

While Warwick did lose the Grand Final, they were never once at full strength all season and still finished second, and then threw the gauntlet right down to the Cougars with a strong Grand Final performance full of heart.

Emma Gandini (five points, three rebounds) and Chloe Forster (six points, four assists) both returned just for the Grand Final from layoffs but superstar import Robbi Ryan wasn’t able to suit up.

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Two-time MVP and captain Stacey Barr did all she could for Warwick with 35 points, 13 rebounds and four steals with 250-gamer Nat Burton adding eight points, seven boards and two blocks, Kyana Weir seven points, and Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard five points and 13 rebounds.

Cockburn might have come into the Grand Final undefeated but Warwick wanted to put the pressure right back on them early and did that by scoring the first four points.

That turned into a 7-2 lead when Kyana Weir knocked down a three-pointer before the Cougars did respond with the next eight points beginning with a triple from captain Jewel Williams.

The Senators hit back with the next seven points including a triple from the returning Emma Gandini who was hunting her fourth championship

Warwick were still leading 19-15 by quarter-time from there before a 7-0 early in the second term including a triple from Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard which saw the Senators leading 26-17 with the pressure right back on Cockburn.

The Cougars responded in mighty impressive fashion coming out of a timeout with 16 straight points where they continued to hustle for offensive rebounds and those second chance points were becoming the difference.

That 16-0 run also included a pair of three-pointers from Steph Gorman and another from Ruby Porter, and not long after it was the Cougars leading 43-36 by half-time with 15 second chance points to five pivotal with Daniel Raber having 12 points and 14 rebounds to the half.

Every time Cockburn threatened to pull away through the third quarter the Senators responded including 12 points in the third quarter alone from Stacey Barr but late triples to Regan Turnour-McCarty and Amelia Corasaniti saw Cockburn still up 63-55 by three quarter-time.

Raber and Mortensen then took charge early in the fourth period for Cockburn and before long the lead was out to 18. There was no coming back for the brave Senators with the Cougars completing the perfect season with the 20-point Grand Final win.

WOMEN'S NBL1 WEST GRAND FINAL 2025

COCKBURN COUGARS 91 (Mortensen 18, Porter 17, Raber 16)

WARWICK SENATORS 71 (Barr 35, Burton 8, Weir 7)

Chris Pike

West Recap | Women's Grand Final 2025