Warriors CBL | Country Basketball League Warragul

About the Competition

True country representative basketball.

The Country Basketball League is Basketball Victoria's open-age representative competition for regional associations, played across geographic conferences from October into the summer season. It was designed to give regional associations and athletes the chance to compete against one another in the spirit of town versus town competition — a true reflection of country sport.

The CBL features both a Men's and a Women's competition. Squads are made up of players selected through trials held by their local association — for our region, that's the Warragul Basketball Association.

Who can enter? All Basketball Victoria regional affiliated associations are eligible to nominate for the CBL, and nominations may also be accepted from interstate country associations.

Home and away

A true home-and-away format — every team plays an equal number of home and away games.

Summer season

The opening round tips off in early October, with the home-and-away season running through to mid-December.

Conference finals

Each conference decides its champion at the Conference Finals that close out the season.

State finals

The four conference winners meet at the State (All-Conference) Finals weekend to be crowned CBL State Champions.

2026 Season

At a glance.

Competition Country Basketball League (CBL)

Governing Body Basketball Victoria

Season October – December 2026

Finals Conference Finals + State (All-Conference) Finals

Age Group Open Age — Men's & Women's

Our Conference Gippsland Conference

Competition Structure

Four conferences, one state title.

The CBL is structured into four geographic conferences across regional Victoria, so teams face geographically relevant opponents in true town-versus-town fashion.

North East

NE Conference

North West

NW Conference

South West

SW Conference

Home

Gippsland

Warragul's Conference

State Finals: The winning team from each of the four conferences advances to the State (All-Conference) Finals weekend to compete for the title of CBL State Champions.

Player Development

The senior performance pathway.

The CBL is a performance pathway — the same role the Big V plays for our senior program. Played through the Big V off-season, it gives regional players high-level representative competition, and players who excel at CBL level build the skills and experience to progress to the Big V and beyond.

Start Here

Local Club

Domestic competition with your WBA affiliated club.

Representative

CBL

Selected Gippsland Conference squads — town versus town, October to December.

Premier Community

Big V

Basketball Victoria's premier community competition — the Warriors' winter stage.

Warragul CBL

Honours board.

Warragul has a proud history in the Country Basketball League, with success in both the Men's and Women's competitions across the Gippsland Conference.

Men's CBL

2019/20 Conference Champions

2012/13 Conference Champions

2012/13 CBL State Champions

Women's CBL

2023/24 Conference Champions

2020/21 Conference Champions

The 2012/13 Men's team also won the All-Conference State Finals, crowned CBL State Champions.

CBL 2026

Your 2026 coaches.

Leading Warragul's Men's and Women's campaigns in the Gippsland Conference.

Men's Head Coach

Michael Bridgman

A five-time CBL champion as a player and a Big V Division One champion and captain with Latrobe City Energy (2014, 2016), Michael Bridgman returns to lead the Warriors' Men's CBL campaign in 2026 after coaching the side through the 2025 season. A WBA board member since 2020 and instrumental in driving the association's re-entry to the Big V, Michael's passion for senior representative basketball — and his commitment to the Warriors program — runs deep.

Women's Head Coach

Kyle Ogden

Kyle Ogden brings more than a decade of coaching experience across senior, representative, school, university and community programs. Currently Head Coach of the Bulleen Boomers Big V Championship Women, he previously guided the Melbourne University Black Angels to the 2024 Big V Division Two Women's Championship and promotion to Division One, and coached Hawthorn Magic to the 2025 VJBL U12 VC Reserve Premiership. Alongside coaching, Kyle has held basketball leadership roles at Basketball Hawthorn, overseeing coach development, player pathways and participation programs supporting more than 60 domestic teams.

2026 Season

Trials & selection.

Warragul Basketball Association will hold trials to select our Men's and Women's CBL squads for the 2026 season, running across three sessions in late August and early September at the Warragul Leisure Centre.

Men's CBL Trials

Coach: Michael Bridgman

Women's CBL Trials

Coach: Kyle Ogden

Wednesday 26 August 6:30pm – 8:00pm Courts 1 & 2, Warragul Leisure Centre
Wednesday 2 September 6:30pm – 8:00pm Courts 1 & 2, Warragul Leisure Centre
Friday 4 September 6:30pm – 8:00pm Courts 3 & 4, Warragul Leisure Centre

complete the trial eoi form

Who should attend? Any open-age player affiliated with the Warragul Basketball Association who is interested in representing Warragul in the Gippsland Conference is encouraged to attend. Previous CBL experience is not required.

Questions? tash.billing@warragulbasketball.org.au

CBL Trial — Expression of Interest

All trialling players must complete this Expression of Interest. The information you provide is used to assess your player points classification under the CBL Rules of Operation (Section 4.1) and your eligibility to compete (Section 4.2). Incomplete or inaccurate answers may delay your assessment.

01 Personal details

Full name *

Date of birth *

Residential address *

Phone *

Email *

Preferred playing position(s)

Which team are you trialling for? *

02 Residency & eligibility

Do you reside at a "Country" domicile address? *

How long have you lived at your current address?

"Country" is defined by the Basketball Victoria High Performance Boundary. Select Unsure if you're not certain — we'll confirm it with you.

Are you currently registered with any other basketball association or club? If yes, which one(s)?

Will you require a clearance from another association? *

03 Playing history — most recent season

This section determines your points category. Answer for the most recent completed season unless otherwise stated.

Did you play in any NBL1 competition (any conference) in the most recent season? *

Club and conference

Games played

Average minutes per game

Did you play in the Big V Championship (Senior) competition in the most recent season? *

Club and division

Games played

Average minutes per game

Have you competed in a national competition overseas within the last 12 months? *

Country

League/competition and club

Dates of participation

Applies to national competitions in Argentina, Canada (excluding college programs), China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, or the USA (excluding college programs).

Have you represented a Country Association at Junior Country Championships and/or played in the CBL competition in the past 2 years/seasons? *

Which association(s)?

Which competition(s) and season(s)?

Any other senior or representative competitions over the past 2 seasons

04 Special dispensation (if applicable)

Special dispensations may reduce a Category 1, 2 or 3 player's points by 50%. Answer the following so the association can assess whether a dispensation application may apply to you.

Have you played at a Junior Country Championships with Warragul Basketball Association?

Which year(s), and what evidence can you provide?

Have you played 3 or more seasons of CBL for Warragul, with 12 or more games across those 3 seasons?

Which seasons, and approximately how many games?

Any other circumstances that may support a special dispensation application (reviewed by the league)?

05 Availability & commitment

Are you available for the full CBL season, including finals? *

Are you willing to travel for away games? *

Please explain your availability

Any known dates or periods you will be unavailable

06 Declaration

I declare that the information provided in this form is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that: the association is responsible for determining my player points category, which will be entered and displayed via PlayHQ; providing false or misleading information may affect my eligibility and may place the team in breach of the CBL Rules of Operation; and player points classifications may be contested by other associations, and supporting evidence may be required. *

Player name (type your full name as your signature) *

Date *

Parent/guardian name (required if the player is under 18)

Country basketball league.