NICKNAME/S: Greta

FAMILY: Steve’s son Shane Breheny also played 1 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Steve Breheny made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 22 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.

St Kilda opened the inaugural NBL season under head coach Brian Kerle with a fully Australian roster anchored by Tony Barnett, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu, Steve Breheny and Robbie Cadee, a core whose long-established state-league familiarity carried seamlessly into the new national competition.

After a balanced 3–3 opening, the Saints found their footing, leaning on Barnett’s scoring from the wing, Sengstock’s authority inside and Breheny’s command of the backcourt to form one of the league’s most settled and efficient rotations.

As their systems settled, St Kilda elevated their play and delivered the defining run of the season, closing the regular year with 12 consecutive wins and completing a perfect 9–0 home record.

Barnett produced several decisive scoring performances during this stretch, including 36 points against Bankstown and 35 in a pivotal victory over Canberra that helped secure top spot ahead of the Grand Final.

Throughout the run, Breheny’s composed guard play—directing the half-court, controlling pace and contributing scoring when needed—proved vital in guiding the group through tight finishes and high-pressure moments.

St Kilda finished the regular season 15–3, earning a direct berth into the one-game Grand Final against Canberra in a matchup that contrasted the Saints’ all-local lineup with the Cannons’ import-driven attack led by Cal Stamp.

The decider developed into a physical, momentum-shifting contest, highlighted by a career-best performance from 19-year-old Larry Sengstock, who poured in 33 points and matched Stamp’s 32 in a centre duel that shaped the flow of the game.

The championship was ultimately settled on the final possession, when Cadee drew defenders before slipping a pass to Peter Vitols for a decisive buzzer-beater, sealing a 94–93 victory and delivering the NBL’s first championship.

The Saints’ 15–3 finish reflected the depth and consistency of their all-Australian core, a group that also secured multiple domestic titles during 1979 and established itself as the benchmark side of the period.

Key contributors included leading scorer Tony Barnett (22.3 points), Grand Final MVP Larry Sengstock (17.6 points), Danny Morseu (15.8 points), Steve Breheny (13.3 points) and Robbie Cadee (12.3 points at a league-best 89.7 percent from the free-throw line), with Ian Manson (9.1 points) and Peter Vitols (5.1 points) providing valuable rotation minutes across the campaign.

St Kilda’s commitment to competing without imports—relying instead on Sengstock, Barnett, Morseu and Breheny to shoulder the offensive and defensive load—remains unique in league history, with the Saints still the only club to capture an NBL championship using a fully local roster.

They opened the season at 3–3 before producing a 12-game winning streak to finish 15–3 and then defeating Canberra 94–93 in the Grand Final, with Sengstock’s 33-point performance and Cadee’s final-pass execution sealing their place as the inaugural champions of the national competition.

1980
After winning the inaugural NBL title in 1979, St Kilda looked to back it up in 1980. Key talent Tony Barnett, Danny Morseu and Larry Sengstock would all return from the championship-winning squad, and import Rocky Smith was added to inject some additional scoring power.

St Kilda opened the season on 3 February with a 74–68 loss to Wollongong at Albert Park, then steadied quickly with a 109–70 win over Canberra and road victories over Newcastle (88–86) and City of Sydney (84–71) across the opening stretch.

On 2 March at Beaton Park, the Saints rolled Wollongong 101–83 as Smith (46 points) delivered a season-high scoring effort.

With St Kilda in a tight season-long fight with West Adelaide for top spot, Kerle added a second import in Mike Slusher (12.3 ppg) to play the team’s final nine regular season games as the Saints geared up for the run home.

The ladder race tightened into the final home-and-away game on 7 June at Albert Park, where Smith (39 points) and Barnett (12 points) scored in an 88–90 loss to West Adelaide despite their efforts, as Ken Richardson (31 points) poured in scoring and Rick Hodges (21 points) led the Bearcats.

With both teams finishing 17–5, St Kilda held first after splitting the season series 1–1 and retaining the points advantage from their earlier win, securing top spot heading into the finals in Launceston.

Across the season St Kilda were driven offensively by Rocky Smith (33 ppg), who led the league in scoring, alongside Danny Morseu (18.5 ppg) and Tony Barnett (14.9 ppg).

Other key contributors included Ken Burbridge (9.2 ppg) and Larry Sengstock (9.3 ppg), while Breheny (6.7 points across 14 games) played only half the season and saw increased minutes when Sengstock’s campaign was interrupted by injury.

At the end of the season, Morseu earned All-NBL First Team selection, while Smith collected the league’s Most Valuable Player award despite surprisingly missing All-NBL First Team honours.

In the semi-final on 14 June, St Kilda defeated Nunawading 101–77 behind Smith (32 points) and Barnett (15 points) leading the way, with Breheny (8 points) also chipping in, as the Spectres were led by Gary Fox (21 points) and Alan Black (18 points).

In the Grand Final on 15 June, St Kilda surged past West Adelaide 113–88 as Smith (26 points) scored strongly, Morseu (19 points) finished with support, Slusher (18 points) added scoring and Sengstock (16 points) delivered inside, while Barnett (14 points) and Breheny (6 points) rounded out the Saints’ balanced spread.

West Adelaide leaned on Hodges (27 points), Richardson (20 points) and Trevor Maddiford (18 points), but St Kilda’s depth and scoring options proved decisive as the Saints secured back-to-back NBL titles.

1981
Tony Barnett (to Geelong) and Gary Voss (retired) departed St Kilda after the Fighting Saints won the NBL’s first two championships in 1979 and 1980. Also, rumours persisted through the off-season that Olympians Danny Morseu and Larry Sengstock were also set to leave, but head coach Brian Kerle held the core together and both returned to chase a third straight title with Rocky Smith, Mike Slusher and Steve Breheny back in the mix.

Kerle added rookie Andy Blicavs to help cover the losses from the championship rotation, and St Kilda opened the year as the competition benchmark after topping a pre-season poll of coaches and administrators.

Breheny was part of Kerle’s preferred starting group alongside Morseu, Sengstock, Smith and Slusher as St Kilda tried to set the pace again from round one.

St Kilda’s season began on 21 February in Launceston, where they fell to Launceston Casino City (88–90) despite strong early output from Morseu (26 points), Smith (26 points), Sengstock (12 points) and Breheny (10 points) in the narrow defeat.

The Saints responded immediately with a win over Coburg (93–88) the next day, then began building momentum at Albert Park with results including a 104–72 win over the City of Sydney Astronauts and a 114–100 victory over Wollongong as Breheny helped steady the backcourt before injury cut his season short early in the campaign.

With Breheny sidelined for most of the year, Kerle leaned further into his depth as the season progressed, with Blicavs and Burbridge taking on larger roles around the established scorers.

St Kilda delivered one of their biggest late-season statements on 14 June at Albert Park, defeating Forrestville (115–98) behind Smith (44 points) and Slusher (16 points) with Burbridge (12 points) and Morseu (14 points) in support.

The Saints closed the regular season on 18 June with an 85–83 win over Nunawading at Kilsyth Stadium as Smith (23 points), Blicavs (19 points) and Morseu (18 points) combined for 60 points in the final-round victory.

St Kilda finished first on the ladder (17-5), three games clear of second-place Launceston Casino City, despite Breheny featuring in only seven games across the season due to the early injury setback.

Smith (28.8 points across 22 games) and Morseu (20.0 points across 22 games) drove St Kilda’s offence as the primary scoring options throughout the year.

Other key contributors included Sengstock (14.0 points across 22 games), Slusher (11.9 points across 21 games) and Blicavs (8.2 points across 18 games), while Breheny (10.7 points across 7 games) provided early-season support before his limited run of appearances reshaped Kerle’s rotation.

At season’s end, Smith and Morseu were named to the All-NBL First Team following St Kilda’s minor premiership finish.

With the 1981 NBL Finals approaching, St Kilda informed league officials they would instead compete in the 1981 FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil and forfeited their place in the playoffs, with Brisbane elevated into the finals in their place.

At the Club World Cup, the Saints finished sixth behind winners Real Madrid (Spain), Sirio (Brazil), Clemson (USA), Atletica Francana (Brazil) and Ferro Carril Oeste (Argentina).

In the reshaped NBL Finals series, Launceston Casino City eliminated Brisbane (71–69) in the semi-finals and then defeated Nunawading (75–54) in the Grand Final as St Kilda’s season ended without an NBL playoff appearance despite finishing 17-5 on top of the ladder.

1982
St Kilda entered 1982 in a reset season after walking away from the 1981 NBL Finals to chase the World Club Championships, and the roster turned over heavily as star import Rocky Smith left to play in Brazil, while Olympians Larry Sengstock and Danny Morseu both left for Brisbane. Coach Brian Kerle rebuilt quickly by signing Phil Smyth, an Adelaide junior who was already regarded as one of Australia’s best point guards but finally made his long-awaited NBL debut in 1982 after representing Australia at the 1978 FIBA World Championship and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, while import Mike Slusher returned as a primary offensive option and rookie Bill Runchey was added to bolster the frontcourt depth.

St Kilda opened the season on 6 February in Canberra, falling to the Cannons (82–93) despite Smyth (20 points, 5 rebounds) producing a strong first-up performance, supported by Slusher (16 points, 6 rebounds) and Runchey (15 points, 7 rebounds). The Saints responded the next day by edging Sydney (78–77) to split the opening road trip, but February exposed the inconsistency of the new-look group as West Adelaide beat them twice, including a 77–114 loss at the Apollo Entertainment Centre on 20 February.

After a 70–67 home win over Canberra on 28 February, St Kilda produced one of their best early-season results on 6 March in Launceston, defeating reigning champions Launceston Casino City (91–86) as Smyth (33 points, 4 rebounds) erupted to swing the road win, with Slusher (24 points) and Runchey (9 points, 11 rebounds) also contributing. St Kilda stayed around the middle of the table through March with wins over Perth (68–62), Wollongong (82–73) and Brisbane (83–66), but Nunawading remained a problem match-up and the Saints dropped both meetings with the Spectres across the year, including an 81–79 loss at Albert Park on 7 March and an 85–77 loss at Burwood Stadium on 28 March.

From May into July, the Saints found more consistency, highlighted by a 101–90 win over Launceston on 23 May as they banked enough results to stay in the hunt despite uneven patches earlier in the season. St Kilda closed the year with a 119–87 win over Wollongong at Albert Park on 10 July, where Breheny produced his best game of the season with (31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) while Runchey (22 points, 11 rebounds) also featured heavily, with Smyth (16 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) controlling the finish alongside Slusher (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Templeton (10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists).

Across the season St Kilda were led offensively by Smyth (18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists) and Slusher (17.3 points, 8.4 rebounds) as the primary scoring threats, while Breheny (16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds) played only 18 games but still produced key moments late in the campaign, including his 31-point close to the regular season against Wollongong.

St Kilda did not qualify for the playoffs in 1982, the first time they missed the finals since the NBL began in 1979, but Smyth’s debut season still ended with major recognition as he won the league’s Best Defensive Player award and was named to the All-NBL First Team.

1983
During the 1983 season, Breheny averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists and was a part of the Puma’s squad which finished in eighth place (12-10).

1984
In 1984, Breheny averaged 18.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, and helped guide the Puma’s finish with a 9-14 record.

GEELONG CATS
1985
In 1985, Breheny averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, as the Cats finished in seventh place (15-11).

COBURG GIANTS
1986
A dismal result in the previous season saw coach Owen Hughan replaced with former player Les Riddle. This move also saw Ray Borner (to Illawarra), Chuck Harmison (to Bankstown), Steve Davis (to Nunawading) and Benny Lewis (to St Kilda) all leave the club for opportunities elsewhere. Riddle and the Giants made efforts to find replacements for them, the key moves being imports Willie Simmons and Jim Foster joining the team and adding a young David Graham to fill the void. Losing the majority of the team’s core however, proved too much and the Giants missed the playoffs for the first time since 1981.

Breheny averaged 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists as the team struggled to remain competitive and finished in eight place (14-12).

Missing the playoffs again and increasing financial difficulties saw the Giants leave Coburg and re-brand to the North Melbourne Giants. This included a move into the CBD to play out of the much larger Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre (The Glasshouse).

Steve Breheny played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the St. Kilda Saints, Geelong Cats and Coburg Giants. He averaged 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 148 NBL games.