NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 Injury Report: Selection Watch Before Lockout

Updated: 19 September 2026, 10:15am ACST

Latest: South East Melbourne has ruled Nathan Sobey OUT of Saturday night’s game in Perth with back tightness. He will be reassessed before Monday’s game in Tasmania. Adelaide is also without John Jenkins and Isaac Humphries, while Perth will open without Brandon Knight and Jaron Rillie.

Round 1 is close enough now that preseason form is no longer the only thing that matters.

Availability does.

The first NBL27 game tips off on Saturday, 19 September, and SuperCoach coaches are entering the part of the week where one training update can matter more than an entire Blitz box score.

So this page is our live Round 1 injury and selection watch. We will keep updating it as clubs confirm availability, restrictions and final team news.

If you are still shaping your opening squad, use this alongside our current Round 1 team, final preseason stock report and double-game fixture guide.

NBL27 Round 1 injury and availability board

That board looks busy, but one team clearly dominates the discussion.

Melbourne United is the team you cannot guess on

Melbourne is loaded enough that every absence changes two or three other fantasy roles.

Coach Jacob Chance said during the week that United was hopeful of having everyone available for the opener against Adelaide, but the list of interrupted preparations is long: Cole Anthony, Shea Ili, Sam Waardenburg, Josh Oduro, Chris Goulding and Luke Travers have all dealt with injury, illness or management during preseason.

That is a very different problem from a single doubtful player.

If Anthony sits or is restricted, there is more creation available elsewhere. If Waardenburg or Oduro is limited, frontcourt minutes shift. If Travers is fully healthy, his all-round role remains one of the most fantasy-friendly in the league.

The trap is trying to solve those rotations six days early.

Buckets call: do not fade Melbourne talent. Just do not pay premium prices for uncertainty when the opening round gives you double-game alternatives elsewhere.

Cole Anthony: huge ceiling, unnecessary Round 1 risk if the workload is unclear

Anthony is one of the biggest names in NBL27 and his fantasy ceiling is obvious.

But he missed both Blitz games and New Zealand's final preseason win over Melbourne. United is hopeful he will be ready for the season opener, which is encouraging, but "available" and "ready for a full fantasy workload" are not always the same thing.

For Classic, that matters because Melbourne plays once in Round 1 while New Zealand and South East Melbourne play twice.

If Anthony is fully cleared and unrestricted, he immediately becomes relevant again. If the language is cautious or he is on any kind of minutes build, there is no reason to force the pick.

Buckets call: Anthony is now selectable. The remaining question is strategic rather than availability: at a premium price and with only one Round 1 game, we still prefer the strongest double-game structures unless your build comfortably accommodates him.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright: the most important Round 1 availability check

PJC missed New Zealand's final preseason game against Melbourne.

Normally, one missed exhibition game would not deserve much panic. In Round 1 SuperCoach, this one matters more because the Breakers are one of only two teams with a double.

PJC is the obvious premium captaincy candidate if he is fully available. Two games from an elite primary ball-handler is exactly the structure Round 1 rewards.

That makes his status more important than the status of many single-game premiums.

Buckets call: keep him in your plans, but confirm availability before locking him in. There is no need to guess when the reward for certainty is this large.

Josiah-Jordan James is OUT: what changes for the Round 1 double

New Zealand confirmed on 16 September that Josiah-Jordan James has torn his left hamstring and will be re-assessed in four to six weeks. He is out of the season opener and, barring a dramatically faster recovery, several rounds beyond it.

This matters more than a normal single-game injury because the Breakers play twice in Round 1. James was expected to provide size, defence, secondary handling and connective passing on the wing. He had also been priced at $277,000 in SuperCoach after averaging 13.5 projected points across his two Blitz appearances.

The direct fantasy beneficiaries are not necessarily one-for-one replacements. Sam Mennenga should have even less competition for major forward minutes, Carlin Davison has a clearer path to wing minutes, and veteran Reuben Te Rangi becomes a stronger cheap Round 1 floor play. The Breakers have already shown during preseason that they are willing to spread extra responsibility when players are missing.

Buckets call: remove James from every Round 1 build. Upgrade Mennenga slightly. Te Rangi and Davison initially looked like the clearest wing beneficiaries, but the reported signing of Mojave King adds another experienced option. Do not chase a replacement blindly until New Zealand confirms King's Round 1 role.

Mojave King is now part of the replacement equation

Fox Sports and ESPN reported on 16 September that Mojave King has signed with New Zealand as an Injury Replacement Player for James. The NBL has reported the move but, at the time of this update, the Breakers have not yet made the same formal announcement.

King is not an unknown quantity. He has played 95 NBL games, including 17 for the Breakers in 2024-25, with career averages of 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists. That experience makes him capable of absorbing rotation minutes quickly, but it does not automatically make him a Round 1 SuperCoach target.

The practical effect is to cool the automatic Te Rangi/Davison opportunity bump. Mennenga remains the cleaner fantasy beneficiary because his major frontcourt role was secure before the injury and New Zealand still has two games.

Buckets call: King is a role watch, not a blind buy. Wait for confirmation that he is available for Round 1 and see where his minutes come from.

Sam Mennenga has moved in the opposite direction

There was a health question around Mennenga earlier in preseason because he missed the Blitz.

That question has now largely disappeared.

He scored 22 points against South East Melbourne, then finished with 26 points, five rebounds and four assists in the final win over Melbourne.

Combined with New Zealand's Round 1 double and his FWD/CTR flexibility, that is why Mennenga remains central to our current starting team.

Buckets call: green light unless new information emerges.

Kendric Davis: arrival solved one problem, not all of them

Kendric Davis landed in Australia on 12 September after the passport administration issue that kept him out of Sydney's entire preseason.

That removes the biggest availability concern.

It does not remove the preparation concern.

Davis has not played a preseason game with this Sydney roster, and the Kings added significant pieces around him. We know exactly how good he is. The uncertainty is simply how quickly the role, conditioning and combinations settle.

Sydney also plays once in Round 1.

Buckets call: elite season-long option, but still not a Round 1 priority for us. Let the role breathe before paying premium money.

Tasmania: Magnay's return changes the cheapie picture

Will Magnay returned for 12 minutes in Tasmania's final preseason game against Sydney.

That is good news for Magnay and a warning for anyone who built a cheap Tasmania frontcourt case around his absence.

Josh Bannan, Ben Ayre and Bryce Hamilton all missed that final game, so Tasmania still has multiple availability questions heading into the week.

The key fantasy point is not that every missing player is suddenly doubtful. It is that temporary preseason roles can disappear quickly when senior players return.

Buckets call: be careful with Tasmania cheapies whose value depends entirely on injury-created minutes.

Cairns: several absences, but not all absences are equal

Cairns destroyed Brisbane 129-98 in its final preseason game while still missing Jaylin Galloway, Kyrin Galloway, Shaun Bruce, Sunday Dech and Luke Paul.

The context matters.

Bruce was away for a wedding, so that is not an injury flag. Kyrin Galloway had been managing an ankle issue but Cairns had indicated he was expected to be okay. Dech had been managed with a hamstring issue.

That leaves a mix of genuine health monitoring and ordinary preseason absence.

For fantasy, the bigger issue is role compression. Cairns looked deep even without several rotation players. As bodies return, some of the minutes and usage we saw in preseason will tighten.

That is especially relevant for mid-range and bench-value picks.

Buckets call: McVeigh and Pinder remain strong early targets. Be more conservative with lower-tier Cairns value until the Round 1 rotation is clearer.

Brisbane: the final result was bad, but the fantasy roles still matter

Brisbane's final preseason game was ugly on the scoreboard, but the Bullets were only without Sam McDaniel and Taine Murray.

Nate Hinton and Tyrell Harrison still posted strong individual lines, while Arnas Velička's broader preseason body of work remains excellent.

The availability watch here is more about whether the rotation stabilises than about a major star being ruled out.

Buckets call: no reason to panic on the core fantasy names. Just watch whether the returning pieces change minutes around the edges.

Perth: Windler is the new Round 1 problem

The official NBL injury list now has Dylan Windler out with a foot injury, return TBC, while Jaron Rillie (lower leg), Marley Sam (wrist) and Jesse Wagstaff (wrist) are also listed out with returns TBC. Brandon Knight is listed available after signing as Perth's final import.

Windler is the important fantasy change. He had been projected as a starting wing and a stable complementary option alongside Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Kristian Doolittle. If he misses the opener, Perth loses shooting, rebounding and a significant chunk of established wing minutes.

JLA has done everything possible to force himself into premium-centre conversations, including 27 and 29-point performances in Japan. The unresolved guard picture is more of a role-context issue than a reason to fade him.

Buckets call: JLA remains the premium centre temptation. The guard situation is more relevant for Perth's secondary fantasy options.

The teams with fewer current red flags

As of 13 September, the latest official reporting we have reviewed has not produced the same level of fresh Round 1 concern around Adelaide, Illawarra or South East Melbourne.

South East Melbourne had its full squad available at the Blitz and, importantly, owns a Round 1 double. That makes the Phoenix especially attractive when comparing two similarly priced options.

Illawarra opens against New Zealand, while Adelaide faces Melbourne in the season opener.

This does not mean every player on those teams is guaranteed fit. It means there is currently less public injury noise to price into a SuperCoach decision.

That distinction matters.

What we are doing with our Round 1 team right now

The injury picture has not forced a major rebuild of our latest Round 1 team.

Our current approach is:

1. Keep Sam Mennenga. His health and role questions have moved in the right direction.
2. Wait on PJC confirmation. He is still an elite Round 1 option if fully available.
3. Avoid guessing on Melbourne. We want clarity on Anthony, Oduro, Waardenburg, Travers and the rest before paying for them.
4. Do not force Kendric Davis into Round 1. Arrival is good news, but Sydney only plays once and Davis has no preseason reps with this group.
5. Treat returning players as role changes for cheapies. Magnay is the clearest example.
6. Use the fixture as the tiebreaker. New Zealand and South East Melbourne are the only Round 1 double teams.

The closer we get to lockout, the less useful vague upside becomes.

Availability wins.

NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 injury FAQ

Is Cole Anthony playing in Round 1?

Melbourne has said it is hopeful Anthony will be available for the opener against Adelaide. He missed the Blitz and the final preseason game, so we still want confirmation of both availability and expected workload before selecting him.

Is Parker Jackson-Cartwright injured?

PJC missed New Zealand's final preseason game against Melbourne. The public reporting available to us does not yet give enough detail to label him out or seriously doubtful, so we are treating him as an availability watch rather than assuming the worst.

Is Kendric Davis available for Round 1?

Davis arrived in Australia on 12 September after his passport delay. The issue now is preparation rather than entry into the country. He has not played a preseason game with Sydney.

Is Will Magnay back?

Yes. Magnay played 12 minutes in Tasmania's final preseason game. The remaining question is how quickly his workload builds.

Which teams have the Round 1 double?

New Zealand and South East Melbourne are the only clubs playing twice in Round 1. That is why health confirmation for players such as PJC and Mennenga carries extra weight.

When should I make final SuperCoach changes?

Use the final club training reports, team announcements and official injury updates as close to lockout as practical. We will keep this page updated as new information arrives.

What to read next

• NBL27 SuperCoach Round 1 team reveal - our current $2m build.
• Final preseason stock report - the players who moved most after the final hit-outs.
• NBL27 projected starting fives - every team's projected starters plus the fantasy roles that matter.
• NBL27 SuperCoach fixture guide - the double-game schedule that should shape your early trades.
• NBL27 SuperCoach cheapies - the cap savers most likely to open usable roles.
• NBL27 SuperCoach sleepers and breakout players - upside names to keep on the radar.

Sources and methodology

This tracker uses current official NBL reporting and the most recent preseason game reports available as of 13 September 2026. Where a player missed a game without a confirmed injury diagnosis, we label them as a watch rather than inventing a medical status.

Key references:

• United "thinking big picture" with injury concerns
• Mennenga, NZ finish pre-season on a high
• REPORT: Kendric Davis touches down after passport issue
• Honours shared between JackJumpers-Kings
• McVeigh lights it up ahead of NBL27
• Taipans blow up the roster, bet on depth
• Wildcats refuse to rush point guard call
• Your guide to double-game rounds: SuperCoach NBL Classic

Buckets is an independent fantasy basketball platform and is not affiliated with SuperCoach or the National Basketball League. SuperCoach is referenced for analysis and scoring comparison.