Southland Sharks 2026 Sal’s NBL Preview

Southland Sharks 2026 Season Preview

Headline: Sharks blend a proven core with key new pieces as Southland looks to stay in the title mix

Quick Facts:

Head Coach: Jonathan Yim

Home Venue: ILT Stadium Southland

2025 Finish: 12-8 (4th) 2-1 post-season lost in Grand Final)

Key Returnee: Caleb Asberry

Key Signing: Max Darling

Player to Watch: Tobias Cameron

At a Glance:

The Southland Sharks head into the 2026 Sal’s NBL season with a strong base to build from after a 14-9 campaign (including finals) that kept them firmly in the playoff mix. Last year’s Sharks were productive on both ends, finishing with a positive scoring margin, strong rebounding numbers, and one of the better offenses in the league. The core is still strong, led by Caleb Asberry, Sam Timmins and Brayden Inger, but Southland has also brought in some notable new pieces. Tall Blacks Tobias Cameron and Max Darling give the Sharks fresh experience and depth along with defensive tenacity, while Rylan Jones and Tautoko Wynyard add to a roster that looks retool around core returners.

Southland Sharks 2026 Roster as of this printing (New arrivals in bold):

William Leger

Brayden Inger

Rylan Jones

Caleb Asberry

Jack Ramage

Tautoko Wynyard

Max Darling

Quake Webster

Tobias Cameron

Dane Bertinshaw

Tukaha Cooper

Riley Snow

Sam Timmins

2025 Sharks Stats Snapshot:

Southland still brings back a meaningful chunk of last season’s production, but not quite as much as it first appears from the raw roster overlap. The headline returners are still impressive. Caleb Asberry added 15.8 points and a league-high 7.5 assists per game, Sam Timmins contributed 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks across 13 games, and Brayden Inger chipped in 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds. Around them, Tukaha Cooper also returns after averaging 9.9 points per game.

Team-wise, the Sharks were one of the stronger and more balanced groups in the league. They averaged 90.7 points per game, allowed 89.4, shot 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from three, and finished with a +1.22 scoring margin. They were also excellent on the glass, averaging 43.2 rebounds per game, best in the league pushed by 2025’s top glass cleaner Josiah Allick.

Category | 2025 Team Leader | Top Returning Shark | 2025 Team / League Rank
Scoring | Keylan Boone, 21.0 ppg | Caleb Asberry, 15.8 ppg | 90.7 ppg, 4th
Rebounding | Josiah Allick, 11.3 rpg | Sam Timmins, 8.3 rpg | 43.2 rpg, 1st
Assists | Caleb Asberry, 7.5 apg | Caleb Asberry, 7.5 apg | 21.4 apg, 1st
Steals | Caleb Asberry, 2.0 spg | Caleb Asberry, 2.0 spg | 6.7 spg, 9th
Blocks | Sam Timmins, 1.9 bpg | Sam Timmins, 1.9 bpg | 4.2 bpg, 3rd
Field Goal % | Josiah Allick, 59% | Caleb Asberry, 49% | 48%, 2nd
3-Point % | Keylan Boone, 45% | Tukaha Cooper, 42% | 38%, 3rd
Free Throw % | Keylan Boone, 86% | Caleb Asberry, 70% | 73%, 4th

2025 Stats League Ranks:

Team Stat | 2025 Numbers | League Rank
Scoring offense | 90.65 ppg | 4th
Scoring defense | 89.43 ppg allowed | 6th
Scoring margin | +1.22 | 4th
Rebounding margin | +4.04 | 2nd
Field goal percentage | 48% | 2nd
3-point percentage | 38% | 3rd
Free throw percentage | 73% | 4th
Assists per game | 21.39 | 1st
Steals per game | 6.65 | 9th
Blocks per game | 4.17 | 3rd
Offensive rebounds per game | 9.87 | 5th
Defensive rebounds per game | 33.30 | 1st
Turnover margin | -4.61 | 11th

Projected Identity:

The 2026 Sharks still look like a team that should be difficult to handle because of their size, structure and top-end talent, but how the mix comes together is a bit more interesting without 2025 MVP Josiah Allick. Asberry remains the as the key ballhandler with the ability to organise the floor or call his own number to punish defenses whose focus wains. Timmins gives them a reliable interior anchor who can control the glass, protect the paint and score when fed with consistency. The returning role players give the group a solid foundation. What changes the equation is the arrival of Cameron and Darling who will lift the level of intensity and physicality whenever they touch the court. New recruit Jones will take over the pg duties but has the ability to play off the ball when Asberry commands more of the ball in hand. Southland should still expect to rebound well, move the ball, and play with physicality, and while the specific look and feel will vary from last years squad you know Coach Lim will ensure that all the Sharks swimming in the tank will be doing so with determination and fire.

Key Offseason Moves:

Departed

The most notable of departures is 2025 Sal’s NBL MVP Josiah Allick who’s personality was as enormous as his game with averages of 18.9 points and a league leading 11.3 rebounds per game. The accuracy of Alonzo Burton will be missed off the bench, while Sione Helu, Joseph Riwhi and Hayden Collier also move out of the 2026 announced picture. Allick and Boone in particular leave major holes in both frontcourt and scoring production but the team do still have an import slot open to replace their epic 2025 production.

Arrived

There are some intriguing additions here, particularly with Tobias Cameron and Max Darling who add considerable lift to Southlands local contingent. Darling has been part of platoon for the past few seasons but looks to be as good a facsimile of the departing Allick as the franchise could have hoped for. Cameron is exactly the kind of perimeter defender that was missing a season ago, and his aggressiveness on both ends of the court will slide in perfectly to Coach Lim’s style. Rylan Jones gives Southland a new import guard piece who can organise the court with ball in hand or play off the catch from the week side while Tautoko Wynyard brings size and to the frontcourt as he looks to carve out a role off the bench.. These arrivals mean Southland is not just relying on continuity after a title game push, but is also layering in fresh quality.

Returning

This is still a solid returning base, even with a few quality departures the retained contingent of players is fantastic news for the Sharks. Asberry, Timmins and Cooper are the headline returners and a core of last season’s starting lineup. Asberry should continue to find options for facilitation even as he keeps pressure on the rim. Conversely, Timmins takes pressure off the rim defensively, acting as the security blanket every great defense needs on the back line. Cooper may experience a move to the bench, but should be a key contributor yet again after a breakout season in 2025. Of the remainder of returners Inger and Leger and Bertinshaw are most likely to see the court while, Ramage, Snow and Webster will all likely feature in the Rapid League and as deeper options to be called upon when needed.

X-Factors:

Caleb Asberry

Asberry should be the steady engine again, but one that is capable of running hot when needed. He averaged 15.8 points and a league-best 7.5 assists, while also producing 2.0 steals per game. If the Sharks are going to be among the title contenders again, he will again need to control tempo and create for everyone around him while still finding time to feed himself.

Tobias Cameron

Cameron has seen his impact rise considerably with each season of professional development and will come into the season with defensive effort that few wings in the competition can match. If he is able to continue lifting the efficiency of his play from deep he could turn into one of the key free agent signings of the offseason.

Tukaha Cooper

Cooper’s insertion to the starting lineup helped the Sharks find the balance they were missing early in the season and allowed him to play with a level of confidence he had not yet shown in his professional career. With his combination of size, skill and defensive persistence he should be a perfect pairing with Cameron, whether off the bench or as a starter his role will be key.

Biggest Question: Can the new pieces find a way to fit without disrupting the chemistry of the core

Southland has a lot going for it already. The playmaking is elite, the rebounding numbers should compare to where they were a season ago, and there is enough continuity to keep the group stable. But with the MVP Allick gone from the announced 2026 picture, the Sharks need to replace a massive amount of scoring and interior impact. If the fit clicks, Southland should again find itself chasing glory down the stretch of the season.

What Success Looks Like:

Success for Southland in 2026 looks like being firmly back in the title race. The returning core gives the Sharks a solid floor, and the new additions raise the ceiling if they settle quickly. This is not a team trying to discover itself from scratch. It is a team trying to sharpen what is already there while replacing major departed production on the fly.

Final Word:

The Sharks enter 2026 a team that has been built to win, a squad that is looking to keep it’s soul from last season while sprinkling in enough new ingredients to keep things fresh. The core is strong enough to keep Southland at the head of the pack, and the new additions give the squad another dimension and greater depth. If the fit works, the Sharks should be right in the thick of the Sal’s NBL race again.